When did we actually get mugged by the big corporates? Why can’t I simply buy a pair of black plimsolls and walk with my head held high? How come we yearn to be labelled? Like the perimeter advertising hoardings that enclose the Meadow Lane pitch of Notts County.
And when did buying a cup of coffee become a status symbol? The times I have lined up for a simple cup of tea and had to endure listening to the person in front of me excitedly scream, “Make that two Mogachocafucker’s!” These beverage snobs who, even in lockdown, walk miles home so that they can proudly display the Costa brand. The Costa cretins who would rather suffer a cold brew so that they can rub it in the faces of the rest of us, while we would rather spend what it cost them on a return Ryanair flight to Torremolinos.
Photo by Quaid Lagan on Unsplash
I see some folk with more labels on their hoody than Lewis Hamilton has on his race jacket. So, what is the psychology behind all this blind obedience to the brand? Is it all glitz without gumption? Perhaps not.
According to research by Nelissen and Meijers — “Social benefits of luxury brands as costly signals of wealth and status (2011)” – overt displays of high-end consumer consumption promote positive behaviour in social interactions. Field research showed overwhelmingly that the same person dressed in designer gear as opposed to non-branded attire was far more likely to be engaged with in an encouraging manner. A fall whilst out jogging in my black plimsolls would yield a wide birth from others as opposed to the offer of a blood transfusion if I was wearing my Christian Louboutin Spike Sock Donna sneakers (not that I actually own a pair).
Did I get it wrong? Amending the words of the delicious 1985 Grace Jones ballad, is being a ‘slave to the vision’ actually worth the investment? I remain somewhat pessimistic, even in the face of the science. Perhaps the fact that I’m a natural tight wad is a factor! As I continue to ponder the power of the brand whilst climbing into my BMW X5 I can’t see me totally succumbing to the lure of the logo. But don’t expect me to use my fucking indicators!
Anyone Fuckoffee?!
© Ian Kirke 2021
Title Photo by Jeet Dhanoa on Unsplash