I cannot get this idea of "loyalty beyond reason" out of my head. But as I have found out, this notion plays a larger part in the world around me than I realized.
As I was listening to an audio book by Sam Harris entitled "The End of Faith," Harris points out that, given today's widely accepted scientific findings, certain religious beliefs are illogical, yet billions of people still hold them to be fact. The creation of the Earth 6000 years ago, supernatural abilities and the origins of the human race with Adam and Eve go against the most basic concepts of science. Despite archeological evidence and verified science, people still remain loyal to their belief systems. So now I ask myself, how do religions brand themselves, and do corporate brands use similar methods?
Religions brand themselves as being a means of salvation for whoever chooses to participate as well as a source for answers, counsel and social acceptance. The biggest "advantages" one has when part of a belief system is feelings of acceptance and reassurance. The most popular religions have answers to life's most troublesome questions, e.g. what happens when we die? and what is my purpose on Earth? Most religions have guidelines to living a fulfilling and good life, which gives followers the feeling of doing the right thing: I would go so far as to say that religions practice affective marketing at its finest. Following a religion also entails being a part of a group of people with a common respect for and bond with one another, and this accepting community can be an attractive quality of practicing faith.
Even though Nike has not yet proclaimed eternal salvation for its loyal consumers, corporate brands present themselves in ways similar to religions and strive to play similar, obviously less significant roles in people's lives.
Like religion fills a spiritual or social void in one's life, branded products are marketed to seem as if they serve a purpose in one's life that is not already being served: the classic commercial structure of problem-product-solution comes to mind. This is the assurance aspect, where brands appeal to areas in consumers' lives that are presented as lacking something.
With bigger brand names such as Apple, Under Armor, Lacoste, etc., acceptance and repute in a community are considerable motivations for consumers to purchase popular, branded products. When two people follow the same religion, they automatically feel some connection with one another, and this type of dynamic fosters social interactions. Similarly, when two people sitting in a subway car are using their iPhones, they both know that the other made the same decision to purchase an iPhone and therefore share something in common. Now when millions of people decide to have iPhones, others will want to be a part of the group of people who have iPhones so that they can feel accepted as part of the larger whole, too.
I have a theory about religion and corporate branding, which is that in order to gain faithful consumers, those seeking consumers do everything they can to convince consumers that their lives are simply incomplete and that consuming their faith/product will somehow fill the missing pieces in consumers' lives. Religions do this by proposing that their codes of ethics ensure moral stability, and that living in the name of God is the way to a fulfilling life and afterlife. Corporate brands do this by saying their products do things that no other product can do and that their products will make people happier. But are atheists devoid of ethical, moral values, and can a phone with a slightly bigger screen and blue-tooth capability really make me happier?
No comments:
Post a Comment