Checkout Counter Space-out

Oh good, some controversy on the MyMac staff mailing list regarding branding.

Steve Consilvio wrote:

Does advertising no longer work? Aieeeee. I want what you say to be true, since it would imply that there is intelligent life on this
planet. But where is the trend? In one of my trade magazines, a guy was
paid to have a tattoo put on the back of his head. He now walks around
showing off his shaved head and the logo. The company is an ISP.

The shaved-head guy is an ass.

Not arguing over whether brands matter or not. What *I* am getting at is based totally on intuition (or is it projection? :-). My point is that for more and more people, clinging to brand identifications doesn’t scratch that itch. We’ve mostly been manipulated into believing that owning the right car, the right computer, the right insurance, the right retirement plan, the right damn toothpaste, whatever, assures superiority, security, and freedom from death (hahaha). Millions spend their weekends roaming the freeways and malls (and Web sites) in search of “scoring” the Perfect Deal on That Certain Product, come home, open it up, and feel fulfilled for 40 minutes.

SOME people, however, think this sucks. I do, and I don’t do it any more. My frequent exhortations for people to remove themselves from the TV/magazines/advertising teat reflects a belief that new (old?), inherent, ORGANIC human/spiritual values will emerge in most folks’ minds if they do. This also applies to politics and other belief systems.

I walk through the supermarket checkout and don’t know any of the faces of the people in the magazines. I still get Car & Driver in the mail but don’t recognize the vehicles and have not the slightest desire to own a truck that costs as much as a house. To me this is freedom. Freedom from want and freedom from wanting, or being instructed in what to want. What’s more, I’m just beginning to get the hang of this. The dynamics I’m hinting at are much bigger than whatever’s involved in branding and apply to everything. I also think anyone can play.

Unfortunately, I hardly know what I’m talking about here. It’s mostly a feeling, but I do know it has to do with breaking free of just about everything we’ve ever been taught. Not easy to do, and anyone who follows me off the end of the plank without LONG introspection has no more core than the poor dweeb who shaved a logo onto his head. And once you jump, you can’t climb back on board: you’re in the sea with all the other critters. The thing is, the ship you just left is in it too. only nobody realizes.

Having said all that, it’s probably best to leave the subject and shut up. A little Zen Buddhism would come in handy here and now, as I’ve just built a whole ‘nother trap, in case nobody noticed.