Branding

Hey guys, so here’s a rather brief and (random) article for you guys. Have you ever compared big brands like Starbucks and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf? I’m sure that you must have at least heard of one of these brands– and while I can’t be entirely certain that you’ve tried one of their drinks, you probably know somebody who’s had them. How about tuition centers? We could even compare a center like Mind Champ and any other lesser-known tuition center you can name. What makes Mind Champ so much more successful than other centers that provide the same benefits and teachings? Why does it seem so much more attractive when it costs more and everything basically depends on the student’s own capabilities? What sets it apart from the other centers that offer the same set of skills and methods?

I really started thinking about this when I compared my Caramel Macchiato from Coffee Bean and the one I had from Starbucks. Yes, Starbucks have drinks of quality (trust me, I know), but, personally, I much preferred the drink from Coffee Bean. I’m sure that I’m not the only one out there. And yet, if you turn onto a social network or turn to a friend – more often or not, they’d be sipping from a Starbucks cup and taking digital photos of their Starbucks cheesecake. Why? Yes, I know – there’s no denying the existence of people who genuinely prefer Starbucks products to Coffee Bean. However, more often than not – it’s much deeper than the quality and taste of the products. (Really – Starbucks and Coffee Bean just happen to be a personal example! Don’t take it to heart). When it comes down to it, you’d notice that it probably all has something to do with ‘Branding’!

Yes, Branding. Business students have probably heard this word far too many times, and even if you aren’t exactly in that field – well; I hope that it isn’t too new a word for you either. What does it mean? Well, something that I seem to like to include in all essays on Branding is how it makes use of a certain form of advertisement – endorsement by celebrities. We all have role models – maybe they aren’t our idols, but we all have a handful of people who might, consciously or otherwise, alter the way we approach or think of something. You see a celebrity you like sipping from a Starbucks cup – and suddenly, that Starbucks drink you just had just got a whole lot better than it really had been. You see a celebrity toting a new bag that you’ve had an eye on for days, and suddenly the bag is a whole lot more attractive. That’s the ‘sheep’ factor all those experts always talk about – honestly, some factors are just going to change the way we, and others, perceive things. And I applaud the ingenuity of whoever managed to come up with such a concept, but now I’d like us to think about how it’s affecting us as consumers.

Does that person you know really need that luxury bag, or that expensive meal which might easily be replaced by a hearty dish at one of our local hawker-centers? Or are they merely going for it because it seems to be the ‘in’ thing, the ‘wow’ factor that will impress their peers? Quality is quality, but yeah… just don’t feel that free to splurge on something grand simply because of the brand. Try to look at things with an unbiased mindset, and make the decisions based on the price and attractiveness of the good itself.

Okay, am I starting to preach? Well, you get what I’m trying to say right? I wouldn’t be surprised if you knew that stuff all along!

Well, I hope that I haven’t bored you or offended you. Don’t hesitate to share your views with me at OrdinarySGKid@hotmail.com or @NatKathXo J

Thank you for your time!

Credits:First:Hollywoodsandwine.com Second:Imprint.printmag.com