Branding:

I was at the gym this morning, trying to be good with a run on the treadmill, since my legs are starting to revolt from my last two days of lunges. And like the typical gym there are the T.V. monitors all over the place. I prefer my music over the T.V. but if I am going to be stuck in front a monitor I try to plant myself in front of one with sports. The main reason is that sports seems to be the least obnoxious for viewing, but also seeing all the fit people is a bit of a motivator. But while I was running away, similar to a hamster on a wheel, I thought about brands. Who is doing it right and who is not. Commercials obviously spurred this thought.

My vote for who is doing it right are the brands that the public pays to advertise. The stickers you buy to slap onto your car, letting people know what you like. Apple and Nike are big for this one. Letting others know that you are hip, down with, jiggy with the current trends or products. Or when you work it in to your speech. Whenever I hit upon a question I don't know the answer to, my response is "we should Google that." Ziploc, Kleenex, are also brands that have replaced the product in speech.

The first time I noticed branding was back in high school. My brothers friend had a big Nike swoosh, in its large 2 foot glory, on the back windshield of his car. This was back when Jordan Air shoes were big. Another friend had a stereo logo on the back of his. The latter I thought was always stupid since it seem to me that all it said was "steal my stereo, it is a good one."

My first pair of real running shoes were New Balance but while I have loved my different New Balance shoes on and off over the years you don't see giant N's on the back of cars. Nike does it right; whether you like them or not, they are doing it right. You have swooshes on athletes, cars, kids. Once you get people spending brand names for kids (who grow out of things in two seconds) you know you are doing it right, or that you have tapped into an idiot market that likes to waste money, but that can be the same thing.

Then you have the talking heads that give things a bumps. Dr. Oz, Oprah (but I hear she retired), Colbert, and others that I could tell you if I watched T.V. at home. The fact that I know these ones show you how much people repeat them. Oprah will tell you what to read. Dr. Oz will tell you what to eat. Colbert... well, what he tells you is random but then thousands go out and do it. Me, I am a NPR parrot. "I heard on NPR" or "there was a story on NPR." Not as impressive as Oprah if my friends reactions are the judge of this.

It all boil down to marketing. Part of it is a good product, sure, but it needs to stand out or it will get pushed over the edge by someone else that is better at the game. Companies that have this should give their marketing departments bonus. Agree with it or not, it sells and sticks to the brain.