Your a Walking Advertisement, and You Don’t Realise it.
“Ours is an organisational society” ~ Amitai Etzioni
The world is run through brands. My lecturer once pointed out to me, that it’s impossible to think out of a product that’s not branded.
And it’s true.
Brands are central component of modern day commerce. Consumers place great trust in brands in well perceived brands, believing that popularity is linked to quality. If everyone else has it, then it must be good… right?
The modern day marketplace is a ferocious environment, where brands are constantly fighting for consumers attention. Just think about how many advertisements you’ve seen today.
It’s probably more than you think!
Companies yearn to stand out among the crowd, to be the eye-catching business that distinguishes itself from competitors.
What many consumers don’t realise, is that we play a massive part in promoting products and services. We contribute heavily, in marketing a brand. Some would even argue, that we are the biggest marketers.
One of the most subtle ways of marketing is via word of mouth. It’s a classic approach, that’s probably the most authentic way of promoting a product.
They say that stories run the world. Word of mouth marketing holds this statement to be true. It’s a genuine appreciation of a good or service, that pops up in day-day conversations.
We’ve all been in conversations where one person talks about how that new movie they saw was amazing.
“Did you watch the new Spider-man movie?, it’s absolutely amazing!”. Or “ You tried the new Whopper at Burger King?, it tastes absolutely brilliant!”.
These personal references intrigue us, if a product or service has worked positively for one customer, then surely, they must work well for ourselves.
Researchers have found that 95% of customers check online reviews before buying a product online. And it’s totally understandable. People trust other customers opinions, more so than the company they’re buying from.
Customers are intelligent enough to decipher that the business they’re buying from will always present their products in a positive light. Customers prefer to trust un-biased customers opinions on certain goods, as they’re more legitimate.
When you think about it, whenever customers speak positively about a good or service, they are inadvertently promoting the product. Giving people a perception about what the product or service provides. And that’s really all marketing is, showing off an image of what your product does, and why it’s worth your time.
When this act is performed by trusted associates, there’s a higher chance of us believing the product is useful, and ultimately worth buying.
The most overt way in which people advertise themselves today, is via wearing branded clothing. It’s become a popular trend to showcase what branded piece of clothing your rocking, in public.
Some individuals opt for wearing expensive garments. Brands such as: Louis Vitton, Gucci, Prada, (and a host of other brands) are all examples of high-profile fashion brands. That are seen as prized materials in the modern day fashion climate (especially among the youth).
The majority of people still wear branded clothing. Adidas, Ralph Lauren, Nike, North Face, Levi’s, Timberland. These are all common brands that a high majority of people wear.
Regardless of what brand is being worn, if we view this through a marketing lens it’s all the same. People are showcasing a brand to the world. When you think about, we’re all walking advertisements.
It goes to show just how powerful logo are. By simply adding a logo to a piece of clothing, people can automatically be intrigued. I can recall upon several instances, where an individual likes a hoodie i’m wearing. Almost every time, they’ll ask “ Who’s it made by?”.
If that individual goes on to purchase the hoodie from the company, I've essentially marketed their product, and it’s resulted in a sale for the company.
It’s no surprise that sports teams commonly feature logo’s on their jerseys. Logo’s are a silent form that marketing, that speak to consumers, without saying anything.
They have the power to literally change the meaning of a piece of clothing. Just look at the image above. You instantly associate the soccer jersey with XBOX, just through a simple lettered logo.
So next time you wear your shiny Nikey trainers, or your slick Adidas sweater. Remember that you don’t just look cool, your advertising a brand.
