This is an interesting writing prompt. What brands do I associate with? Well, as we speak I am wearing a Tide shirt. I used to work for Tide as well as a bunch of other Procter & Gamble. I got the shirt free from work, so that would be why I am associating with that brand.
One brand that I like to wear is Converse All-Stars. They don’t exactly have the best arch support, but I feel like they fit my style pretty well.
I’m also writing this on a MacBook. My phone is Android just like my watch, but my tablet and laptop are both Apple products. I really like Apple products because they’re so pleasing to use. I like the freedom and flexibility of Android phones though. And I was advised to get a watch that pairs well with my phone. I may get an iPhone in the future, but right now I’m unsure.
None of that is why I think this is an interesting question though. I think this is an interesting writing prompt because it brings up the discussion around brands, brand loyalty, and brand power. That last one, brand power I think is the most important one to discuss. I think brands have too much power over people. The Bible says something about not worshiping false idols. I think brands are false idols. I think celebrities are too, but that’s a conversation for another day.
I know a lot of people will disagree about whether brands are idols or not, but I think we worship them all the same. We wear more brands than religious symbols, don’t we? More of our attention is dedicated to product branding than to religious studies. I think it is a part of the “worshiping the dollar” that is so prevalent in Western societies.
People try to argue that our country is a Christian country? Most people I know in the US are consumers and capitalists before they’re Christians. The almighty dollar makes the world go around, right? Apparently, God doesn’t do that, money does.
My point is that we place way too much value on brands, particularly in Western countries. Then again, I am a sucker for a high-quality product. A trusted and established brand can bring high-quality products. But we’re seeing less and less of that as time progresses. Instead of inflating the price of products, companies are participating in “shrink-flation” which means that they’re making the size of the products smaller, but leaving the price the same. This is because the average consumer doesn’t really typically calculate the cost of the products by weight, but instead by unit. This means that most people are blissfully unaware of shrink-flation. But if you’ve been paying attention over the past decade, a lot of products have shrunk in size. “Mini” this, “Bite-sized” that, all for the price of a full product.
None of that matters though. Like a friend recently said to me, things aren’t going to change unless someone takes charge of the situation. Unless some sort of protests start, and I don’t think he was referring to picket signs. But, we’re all too comfortable and compliant with all of the negative aspects of society.
Anyways, I’m going to stop ranting now. I drank a lot of coffee this afternoon so I could get in extra hours working. It worked, but now I don’t know if I’m going to sleep tonight!
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Humans seem to “idolize” so many things, don’t they? Gods. Goddesses. Religious myths (of which there are so many). In truth, all religions are myths. Celebrities. Brands. Political Parties.
How often do we ask, “Does this align with my values?” If it doesn’t, do we turn away?
We love loving things outside of ourselves.