The main priority for companies is advertising, branding, marketing and expansion. The priority is not the actual production. American factories have been out sourced by factories in other countries, ultimately saving the company money, so more money can be put into advertising etc. There is a difference between a product and a brand. There are several ethical issues that go along with a company abandoning it's American workers for sweatshop workers in other countries, but claiming no responsibility because the company hired someone else to be in charge of production.That issue wasn't touched on so much in the article though. Mostly the focus was companies shifting the importance from product to branding.
- Companies put a lot of effort into making customers associate a lifestyle, specific ideas/feelings, attitude and " deep inner meanings" to their products.
- There is a difference between products and brands: "a product is something that is made in a factory" a brand is something that is, "made in the mind."
- Brands are a lifestyle, idea, attitude.
- More effort is put into sponsoring a brand, packaging, expansion and advertising by the company, rather then machines, factories, workers, etc. THE MAIN PRIORITY IS THE BRAND.
- Companies out source the factory work to other countries, so the overall cost of making the product and paying the worker is much less, while the markup on the product for retail can be about 400%.
- In fact, many companies are not involved in the production process and "source" factories in other countries by hiring contractors to be in charge of production.
- By doing that they can claim they have no idea about the poor standards for workers or sweat-shop conditions.
- Overall, companies have chosen to focus on marketing strategies to sell their products rather than actually making the product.
---------"Branding the Individual" by Jane Pavitt
I completely agree with the ideas formulated in this piece, that people buy things to be associated with a certain idea or lifestyle, to show social and economical status. I remember being in either elementary or middle school, but definitely young, when my grandparents took me and my sister to K Mart to go school clothes shopping. I was completely against the idea of buying clothes from K Mart, thinking, "if anyone from school knew I'd bought school clothes here....". My mom and other grandma would take us shopping at JCPenneys and Macys, which I thought was completely acceptable. I don't know where or when the idea was implanted in my head that shopping as K Mart was bad. I think the whole idea that, like sociologist Zygmunt Bauman has stated, self construction is about gathering belongings that are of "distinction and difference." However, Pavitt's questioning of how are people able to individualize themselves through the mass production of products and brands that are easily accessible to anyone? I think it is more about being associated with individuality as a group classification, because shopping at a particular store doesn't make you an individual, it's how you navigate through life.
Main points of the article:
- People choose to purchase specific brands of clothing, accessories, and other personal items because of the image they associate with themselves, or how they want to be seen in society.
- The practice of purchasing items to be associated with an idea is different among age groups.
- Differentiation and belonging are the main reasons people buy certain brands- to determine social status, as said by American theorist Thorstein Veblen.
- Veblen-there is an important correlation between purchases and status.
- Cultural preferences= 'cultural capital'-"the expression of social difference through value judgement."
- Certain goods allow people to establish a sense of belonging for a particular group or to individuate oneself.
- More significance is put into purchases when people shop for leisure.
- Three types of shopping Pavitt says: "doing the shopping", "going shopping", and "shopping around."
- The idea of buying an identity.
- The association to self is also through leisure activities and the types of entertainment people choose to participate in.
- "Consumption has become the primary means of formulating and expressing personal identity."
- Is the consumer a victim of this play on their identity? Are consumers products of "media manipulation"?
- Consumption is argued to be either a means for people to create an identity or to lose individuality.
- Modern consumerism- the shopper's most concerned with the representation a product gives.
Bing! It's Fabien! by John Seabrook
This article was really entertaining to read. It presents the job of creating layouts and being an art director or graphic designer, like Fabein, fun. Fabien is the art director for Italian Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. What he does best that has made him so credible is, "let the oxygen in" to an ad, making is simple but widely attractive. The article quotes Calvin Klein saying, "his work is clean and modern and visual and strong and sexy and new. It's what I want" of Fabien's work. He is an "intuitive designer". The article basically records the authors time spent with Fabien at work and on a Calvin Klein underwear shoot, recording the creation process of Fabien.
- This article discusses 'modern' advertising. It is, "clean and young and direct..modern is graphic as opposed to classic."
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