Waking up, you glance at your clock radio and hit snooze for another 5 minutes of sleepy bliss - but you’ve already taken in your first brand of the day. The illuminated clock-radio’s logo.
As you drip out of the bathroom, you’ve likely seen another ten: on shower gels, moisturisers, shampoos, toothpaste - even on the actual shower. All have crept into your subconscious. You don’t even need to see the blue and red swirl of an emblem to know which bottle you want: its colour and shape guides your hand, as you reinforce daily habits.
Back at your wardrobe, every item of clothing has the maker’s mark on a label or embroidered on your pectoral. Each beauty product you slather on and gadget you warm up, has a logo front and centre. By the time you’ve used hairspray, gel, moisturiser, beard balm, deodorant, hair dryer, curling irons, straighteners and checked the time on your phone, you’re saturated in branding. And that’s before the bread, tea and cereals claw out at you.
Branding transmits itself in many different ways: the logo, or even a corner of a logo; trademarked colouring; typeface; and shape. I keep my tea in an unbranded ceramic pot; but as soon as I pluck out one of the distinctive pyramid bags, I’m dancing to the manufacturer’s tune (and we all know the one I’m describing; even the monkey knows).
So as you push your trolley around the supermarket, having driven there past badges on car bonnets, billboard adverts and glowing shop signs, you are drawn to the brands you feel comfortable with. You have accidentally bought into their messages of luxury and quality. An Englishman’s home may be his castle, but the advertisers come through the tradesmen’s entrance without us even noticing.
So getting branding right is important. Care, time and experience has been used to get these things into our lives. If you feel your brand isn’t representing what you have to offer, get in touch with Method, and we’ll offer the benefit of our care, time and experience.
