The Brand-conscious Society: How People Became Obsess with Signature Clothes, Prestigious Schools, Exclusive Subdivisions, and Even Affluent Friends

A study in 2008 revealed that Asians were the most brand-conscious people in the world. Filipinos, notwithstanding unstable economic condition, ranked third among the most brand-conscious in Asia, according to Nielsen report.

There are various theories which try to explain why people are so obsessed with certain brands, and one of the most controversial one is the Cultivation Theory which is pioneered by professor George Gerbner.

According to this theory, television can greatly affect the perception of reality of heavy viewers because this communication medium has disproportionately showed beautiful and wealthy people to the extent that they believe that these things are the norms.

The social malady is further aggravated by the constant bombardment of advertisers who draw their profits from people’s insecurities. They would convince their target-market that there is something missing in their lives and the only way to fill this sense of incompleteness is to buy the product being offered.

For advertisers, they cannot allow consumers to be satisfied with what they have since this would mean loss of profit.


The clothes that wear people

Most sociologists and historians believe that fashion is primarily driven by the elite groups and can spread because of the desire of wealthy people to be considered as the trendsetter and taste-making class.

In a poverty-stricken country like the Philippines, it is surprising that Filipinos still aspire to have designer brands which always come in exorbitant price. According to Nielsen report, Calvin Klein and Louis Vuitton were the most popular brands among Filipino respondents.

The study also revealed that girls aged between 12 to 14 were the most fashion-conscious age group in the country.

While some experts believe that fashion is responsible for propagating a sense of insecurity and scarcity in this world of overproduction of consumer products, Vogue magazine believes that fashion trends come from designers while In Style suggests that these are shaped by celebrities and famous people.

It is somewhat ironic that in a culture where individuality is often glorified, people who veered away from fashion trends are considered outcast.


The emergence of electronic media

Electronic media such as television, movies, video games, and Internet are teeming with advertisers which share the same goal: profit.

Nowadays, most children who are very impressionable can be greatly influenced by these media. According to experts, by the age of three or four, children start to believe that brands can reflect their personalities and can serve as symbols of being cool or admirable.

Some sociologists blame the electronic media and advertisers for making people feel insecure and anxious about themselves, especially children. According to a study published in Pediatrics Journal, rates of behavioral and emotional problems among children belonging from 4-15 age bracket soared between 1979 to 1996. Depression, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder had risen dramatically during this span of time.


Symbol of wealth and power

Some anthropologists who studied ancient artifacts believe that some of these had served as symbols of wealth and power to the possessors. While this may be true, renowned archeologist Colin Renfrew argued that it is possible that possessing high-valued objects made people powerful, rather than the initial theory that powerful people possessed precious items.

In spite of conflicting theories, most experts believe that the value of an ancient artifact seems to have come from its beauty and not from its utilitarian purpose.


Entice by exclusivity

One of the most potent marketing strategies of advertisers and businessmen to lure consumers is the promise of exclusivity. The thought of belonging to an elite group is very tempting for most people, albeit only those rich individuals can afford this high-priced exclusivity.

This is the main reason why some parents—in spite of financial struggles—are wiling to spend huge sums of money to send their children to prestigious schools.

Also, the sense of exclusivity is the reason why some people would spend their money on over-priced houses in subdivisions which only cater to the elite class.