In the chapter, Klein highlights the idea that in the modern society, brands are not created through the process of manufacturing but generated in the office. The brand, therefore, does not reflect the quality anymore but what the executives across the department desire it to appear and stand for. This means that companies are not in the business of producing things, but the emphasis is on creating mages of things (372). In the chapter, Klein put across his arguments by quoting significant brands like Nike as real-life examples of the extent it goes to manufacture products. Many have like a particular brand and attach it to reasons which are inseparable from the manufacturer quality.
The current source of marketing and the strategies employed by manufacturers according to Klein is due to the identity crises suffered by many companies many decades later. When the brands moved into old age, and other simply passed away, then it was the time to discover and explore new markets (370). In the 1990’s some brands started to hit the market such as beers, fast food, soft drinks and others. During the time, companies understood that peer pressure was one of the dominant tools of marketing. The idea of branding came to solve a problem facing corporations because the existence of mass-produced goods which were similar in the absence of branding produced necessity to differentiate products from one another. Further, big companies used various strategies such as presenting proper names labeled on generic goods. These companies also engaged in formulating corporate logos to evoke familiarity to these new goods to achieve emotional attachments (371).
The real meaning of brands changed when it started to an emphasis on psychological examination of the meaning portrayed by brands about people’s culture and lives. Over, time, it was rumored that the brand was in its death bed when it was not selling much and failed to capture people’s attention. As a response, marketers kept devising new inventions to represent brands example being placing fragrances on products. One instance is when Philip Morris effected a 20% cut on their product specifically Marlboro cigarettes to withstand the force of generic competitors. The effect was not only one a single company, but others began realizing they were in danger too (369).
In the book, Naomi Klein groups the narrative into various parts. However, this essay focuses on the part that explores the impact of logos and advertising on the global brands. The purpose of this section is to create the attention on the rise of the mega brand and the events that influenced such the 1990s (368). In 1993 fears surrounding the “death of the brand” spread like wildfire and reached Wall Street in the wake of “Marlboro Friday.” the events were triggered by Philip Morris when he announced a price reduction on their flagship Marlboro cigarettes (370). During this time, the essay explains the kind of panic that Brand makers and advertisers experienced because they perceived that the value purchasing was decreasing. In this era, consumers could buy name products with not brands with the aim of saving money. These kinds of fears were unfounded by multinational companies such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and others, creating a Gap that led to unparalleled advertising expansion. It also made brands to become more innovative which extended to sponsoring of cultural events in the institution of learning such as universities (371).
The author also explains how major brands positioned and repositioned themselves as providing indispensable products to consumers in the global village. Brand builders now focused on multicultural and countercultural imagery to make their product have a place in the latest cool. By extension, major brands lobbied governments for tax relieves, deregulation, abolish selective purchasing agreements where local government boycotted products produced by organizations offering products in foreign regimes viewed as oppressive (366).
Klein “No Logo” chapter seven offers a well-researched information about the rising trend where branding by big companies has outpaced our culture and dominated the whole world. For instance, she insinuates that the global culture and education has surrendered to the concept of branding according to Klein. However, this is one of the logical fallacies because it has devoted so much time to create the notion that corporate logos dictate all the facet of our lives and that we are part of the new branded world. This is not the case, because the attitude only exists in the western world, and just a small insignificant portion of the population is affected. In the book, the author displays a lousy mood against the rising and the effect of corporate brands on our culture and serve as a warning. The negative perception of the rise and the influence of brand only makes her focus on the negative side and fails to acknowledge the positive side. The book, however, is armed with authoritative and compelling information that tells a story of self-determination and rebellion in the face of our new branded world.
To sum up, Naomi Klein explores the global rise of corporate branding that has come to subdue our culture and education to advertising and marketing. In the chapter, the author traces the history of the corporate brand and the whole process that has turned the entire world to become a branded state of affairs. This includes the rising trends of colonizing of private and public space by corporate ideals using various means. In the chapter, she argues that corporations have now stopped selling products and are now concentrating on brands themselves. He quotes multiple multinationals like Nike, Coca-Cola and the strategies they use to appeal to the emotions and desires of the general population by promoting something beyond their ability. The book is excellent because it is well researched and uses real-life examples to convince the readers how our society has been duped to follow the corporate trends.
Nasser
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