WEEK 5

1. WEEK 5

2. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + Overview + Heads-Up: + Presentation and Discussion: + An introduction to the history of brands (to be continued next week) + Heads-Up: + Second Article Summary is due in week 7 (Oct. 15) + Based on readings from weeks 4-6 + Helvetica. Dir. Gary Hustwit. + Required viewing before week 7 (~90:00) + You may wish to get a head-start

3. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + What Do All of These Have in Common?

4. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + What is a Brand? + Definition: + A symbolic construct: represents a collection of information about a product + Typically consists of: name, identifying mark, logo, visual images or symbols, or mental concepts which distinguish the product or service + Carries connotations of a product's "promise": a point of difference among its competitors that makes it special or unique + Attempt to give a product a "personality" or an "image" + Hope to "brand" or burn the image into the consumer's mind + Associate the image with the product's quality + Animism + Origins in ranches + Roots in Industrial Manufacturing + Historical genesis of branding + Goods produced in mass volume, and shipped to different areas + In order to compete, they needed to distinguish themselves + Many attempted to appear as fresh and familiar as the local products + Brand Marketing (19:00) + Brand identity, brand equity, extensions, licensing + "Our grandparents lived in a world of goods. We live in a world of brands."

5. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + Brand Glossary and Overview + Brand Name = part of brand consisting of words or letters that humans can verbalize + Trademark = a brand name that has acquired legal protection + Brand Equity = when a brand has accumulated a mass of positive sentiment among consumers + Value Added = consumers look at brands as important aspects of a product + Carries the reputation of the product + A branded laundry detergent may sell for twice as much as a store-brand + Resemble each other closely, but consumers have learned to regard the branded product as superior, and to believe that because it costs more, it offers better quality NIKE

6. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + Branding versus Advertising + Non-commercially, branding can also apply to marketing of entities which supply ideas or promises, rather than goods and services (i.e. political parties or religious organizations) + Branding is the core meaning + Advertising is the way to convey this message + Logotype (Logo) + Graphic element which uniquely identifies corporations, products, services, agencies, associations, events, or any kind of organization in order to differentiate publicly the owner of the logotype from other entities + A brand name set in a special typeface, arranged in a particular but legible way is referred to as a wordmark + Describes signs, emblems, trademarks, coats of arms, symbols, flags + Uniqueness helps to avoid confusion in the marketplace, among clients, suppliers, users, affiliates, and the general public + Registered as a graphic trademark so that no others can use it, and no others can try to stop its use by the owner

7. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + A Social History of Shopping + Modern understanding of the logotype emerged in 19th century to differentiate products + Most people were semi-literate/illiterate, so the visual aspect created immediate recognition + Re-establish producer-consumer relationship lost through urbanization and industry + Changes in purchasing habits + Farms --> Markets --> General Stores --> Supermarkets --> Online --> Drones --> ? + Development of signature characters (Quaker Oats, Aunt Jemima, Betty Crocker, etc.) + Connote friendliness, familiarity, and trust + Intrinsically tied to the brand or product mythology + Logos are part of a larger brand strategy + Reflect brand identity: communicate philosophy in visual format + Archetypes, trends, and similarity among product classes

8. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + The Language of Logos

9. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + The Evolution of "Consumerspace" + Marketspace = companies sell to us + Consumerspace = sell with us; we are complicit in the process + Brand Loyalty + Brands become part of our families and social interactions + We surround ourselves with outward expressions of our values and beliefs + Starbuck's vs Second Cup vs Myriad vs Café X vs McDonald's vs organic/fair trade, etc. + Questions: + Why do you feel people buy brand-name rather than generic products? (clothing, drugs, food, etc.) + Do you ever buy products based on their brand? Why? + Do you buy brands for certain types of items, and generic for others? + Do you ever choose not to buy a product based upon its brand name? Why?

10. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + No Logo - No Space (~15:00) + Questions: + What is the fundamental difference between lifestyle branding and previous forms? + What are some of the social and economic consequences–globally–of this shift to lifestyle branding? + What does Klein mean by “brand tribes”? What is new about them in the overall history of branding? + What does Klein mean by a “quasi-anthropological” approach to marketing? How is this different from past approaches? + Why does Klein say that Celebration, Florida is the achievement of “brand nirvana”? + Where is the irony?

11. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + No Logo - No Choice (~8:00) + Naomi Klein: “Quite simply, every company with a powerful brand is attempting to develop a relationship with the consumers that resonates so completely with their sense of self that they will aspire, or at least consent, to be serfs under these feudal brandlords.” + Monopoly: crowd out and eliminate competition + Saturate space and the senses and eliminate choice + Malls have replaced public space with a privatized version ruled by commerce + Interference with free speech + Pre-emptive censorship: companies will not produce products if there isn't a viable market + Companies forced to "internalize the Walmart aesthetic" + Questions: + Big brand empires appropriate ideals to their own advantage: rebellious or political thought reduced to props + What specific instances of this have you witnessed? + Is there any way to fight against or overcome this process?

12. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + No Logo - No Jobs (~15:00) + Companies used to develop products, then apply a brand to it + Now, it is the reverse: + Develop brand concepts, and develop products to fit the brand profile + Phil Knight and the “Nike paradigm” + The extraordinary capital required to create a branding campaign impacts the individuals who manufacture the goods, since costs must be cut + Temporary jobs, service sector jobs replace manufacturing jobs: + "Training wheel" jobs + Questions: + What is the motivation for subscribing to this new paradigm? + Why are so many companies following it? What are the business advantages? + Control is essential to the way products get produced for these global brand empires

13. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + Brand Identity + Tom Vanderbilt: "the advertised life is an emerging mode of being in which advertising not only occupies every last negotiable public terrain, but in which it penetrates the cognitive process, invading consciousness to such a point that one expects and looks for advertising, learns to lead life as an ad, to think like an advertiser, and even to anticipate and insert oneself in successful strategies of marketing." + Michael Jordan in Space Jam: “Michael, it’s show time. Get your Hanes on, lace up your Nikes, grab your Wheaties and Gatorade, and we’ll pick up a Big Mac on the way!” + “Product Idea”: more important than the product, itself + NikeTown, Roots Lodge, for example: total brand experience + Living inside a “perpetual marketing event” (from Advertising Age)

14. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + What is Brand Identity? + Brand as product: + Link brand to product class (Band-Aid, Kleenex) + Better than competition + quality/value + Association with use occasion or user or country/region + Brand as organization: + Attributes of company, rather than specific products (Saturn) + Brand as person: + Based upon human factors, personality (Apple) + Brand as symbol: + Vivid, meaningful - often use visual metaphor (Nike, McDonalds)

15. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + What is Brand Identity? + Identity structure: + Core = timeless essence of the brand + Extended = provide texture and completeness + Value proposition: + Functional benefits (Volvo is safe because…) + Emotional benefits (I feel safe in a Volvo) + Self-expressive benefits (I am sporty by wearing Nike: “Just do it”) + Brand-customer relationship + "We're a Ford family"

16. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + What is Brand Identity? + "Madison Avenue insists there is deep myth and symbolism going on here, or worse yet, it makes ridiculous claims of distinctiveness: Describing their entrance into the premium bottled-water market, a Donna Karan New York executive said that 'it just seems so right. Water is international. It's real. It's part of you.' Or, as the ad director for another designer-water brand said, 'Pure. Refreshing–all those adjectives that go with it describe both us and the water' (one wonders if 'shallow' and 'transparent' are among those adjectives)." -- Thomas Vanderbilt, The Advertised Life + "Macy’s advertises 'Expressions–Faded attraction … the worn out jean from Calvin Klein Sport.' 'Worn out in all the right places,' the copy continues, 'brand new jeans slip on with the look and feel of old favorites. And when Calvin’s cool white crew neck is added (a soon-to-be new favorite) you’re set for a totally relaxed mood.' " -- John Fiske, The Jeaning of America + Questions: + How are jeans distinguished by brand (generic versus designer)? + What are the dominant mythologies around jean marketing? + How are these implemented in brand and marketing strategies?

17. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + Major Assignment: "Just What is it That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?” + Part 1: Research (25%, due October 23) + Part 2: Integration (35%, Due November 27) + Richard Hamilton (1956)

18. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + Major Assignment: "Just What is it That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?” + Overview: + Commit to a specific artifact, live with it, document your interactions/environment/context of use + Can be almost anything (shampoo, coffee cup, typeface, etc.) - be specific! + Collection of information, texts, photographs that help you to better understand the life and story of your artifact + Determine how it influences, and is influenced by the culture/world in which it operates + Will be the subject of your entire semester of research--choose carefully! + Part 1: Research (25%, due October 23) + Anthropological field study + Section 1: + Explain your choice; personal resonance/significance + Describe its physical characteristics; 10 captioned photos, brief text + Detailed description of its contextual environments; 5 captioned in-situ photos, brief text + Must not be contrived! Capture within its natural environment + Section 2: + 10 captioned images of different but comparable products; same codes/cultural signals and connotations (cannot be different brands of same artifact type) + Choose 4 photos to elaborate on how each expands your understanding of the original artifact + Section 3: + Summary/Conclusions + Format: + PDF presentation + 25 captioned photos; approximately 750 words (not including captions)

19. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + Major Assignment: "Just What is it That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?” + Part 2: Integration (35%, due November 27) + Connect object to broader culture and theoretical/historical/social framework + Section 1: + 6 sources of information about object (1+ Library book, 1+ scholarly article, 1+ popular media) + Discuss how artifact relates predominant cultural values/ideals (be specific about the time, location, community, user, etc.) + Provide proper citations; credit all borrowed thoughts and references + Section 2: + Choose one historical artifact (pre-1960) to compare or contrast with your artifact + Describe how it reflected its time/culture and how it relates to your contemporary example + Section 3: + Conclusion + How does this study help you to better understand contemporary culture, and your role as a designer? + Format: + 2000-word paper, with appropriate citations, title page, etc. + Include relevant illustrations/photos/captions + Upload copy to CDA class shares: dart261aa_chris_18 or dart261ab_chris_18

20. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + Article Summary Feedback + Bibliography and Citations + You must include a bibliography/works cited page at end of document + At the very least, indicate article used as a basis for the summary + Cite sources within the body of the text + All borrowed information MUST be attributed, and must indicate which item from the bibliography it came from + Quotations AND paraphrased texts AND sources of statistics (etc.) must be acknoweldged + Test: anything you didn't know before preparing this paper + Include page number in brackets + Google is NOT A SOURCE! + Cite the destination page for information or image + Wikipedia is an okay place to start for general information, but avoid citing whenever possible + Go to the source text (usually indicated by a footnote at bottom) + The Argument + Avoid subjective statements, bias, and opinions + Use external sources to support your claims and justify your points + You can operate on a hunch/belief, but find someone else who agrees to strengthen your argument + Avoid generalizations: "everyone....", "we all know" + Style + Make one new point per paragraph and elaborate + Don't keep repeating the same idea in different ways

21. week 5: brands, propaganda + the construction of identity + Preparation for Next Class - Review Materials Not Explored in Previous Week: + Read ONE of the following: + Adaskina, Natalia. “Constructivist Fabrics and Dress Design.” + Heller, Steven. “Polemics and Politics, American Style.” + PLUS: + Abelson, Danny. “Canada Finds an Identity, Finally.” + Briefly peruse the following websites: + Green, Nancy V. “U.S. Trademark History Timeline.” + “Evolution of Logos.” Best Ad + Hastreiter, Kim et al. “Rebranding America.” Paper + Video: The Cola Conquest. Dir. Irene Angelico. + Required viewing before next session (first part of the trilogy ~50:00) + Heads-Up: + Second Article Summary is due in week 7 (Oct. 15) + Based on readings from weeks 4-6 + Helvetica. Dir. Gary Hustwit. + Required viewing before week 7 (~90:00)