Thursday

THE FUTURE OF ADVERTISING

Chanel Long Necklace, Fall/Winter 2010/11

This week over at Human Events I'm writing about the future of advertising... 

"We Americans have long been passionate about our purchases, but we now blur the line between owning and being (just try asking your friends whether they're a Mac or a PC). With the new identity shopping, the monologue form of advertising has ended; ads are now a conversation between the company and the acquirer. Gone are the days when we purchased items simply because they were appealing, useful, or well-made..."

A fake copy of the Chanel Long Necklace.

Our "wardrobes these days are fabric billboards. Our jeans have leather name patches, our shoes have logo-imprinted soles, and our buttons have carefully etched designer names so tiny that attempting to read them can provoke a sexual harassment suit. Gone are the days when companies paid big bucks to paint "See Rock City" or "Burma Shave" on farmers' barns. Nowadays, we are the ones who pay bale-sized amounts for the privilege of wearing branded togs."

An inexpensive imitation at Forever 21.

But what happens when everything is branded? When all is logo-ed and labeled? Even non-luxury products are competing to win customer loyalty for their $20 and $30 creations. These days, coming out of a strip mall with any unbranded product is almost a victory. At the same time, brands have become a short-hand for taste. It's as if we no longer need to be able to discern quality, or create a unique style: just buy a famous brand.

Images, Chanel, Forever21, and a forger.

6 comments:

Splendid Sass said...

You are on the money! I love Forever 21. My daughter introduced me to the store of almost freebies.
We do define ourselves.
Thanks for sharing.
Teresa

Kellie Collis said...

I'm loving the second necklace! And you are right. We should look at items from other shops and not base the decision from the brand name. Kellie xx

Anonymous said...

Wonderful article, have you ever read the book Deluxe? It covers some similar themes about advertising and the changes in how and who buy luxury products. I've also started to see that some design houses are going "logo-less", but these designers often have cult followings that allow them to do so.

Sanity Fair said...

Hey Michelle - YES, I have! Really interesting. I was surprised to learn that Chanel and Hermes are really the only authentic couturier brands left in all areas (clothes, parfums, etc.). Thanks for stopping by - I love your blog!
-SF

Renae Moore said...

Oh gosh, I am sooo IN and I didn't even know it! Got a little knock off at the jewelry mart in ATL! heehee

Anonymous said...

I'm off to read your article as this really resonates with me. My life BC was in Marcomms and I am lovng the directional change you speak of - where if you are not the target market, you so often just won't get it - and that makes it all the more appealing to both the customer and the brand. What is so amazing is how here in my humble home town of Melbourne we've had designer stores at our largest suburban shopping centrs (5 mins from me thanks!) for nearly a year now, and I believe they are doing a roaring trade. Check out http://www.chadstoneshopping.com.au/luxury.aspx to see who's there. Aspiring to one of these brands is part of a Chadstone shopper's identity, even if that means they look for the cheaper rip-off.

Non-branded for me comes straight from my sewing room, but who knows, maybe someday that'll be a brand too.

Lovin my daily SF fix!
Lx

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