At the beginning of the last century, branding had to answer a single question asked by the consumer:
– What is this product?
In the early 1950s this question turned into:
– What is this product used for?
By the end of the 1980s, the question became:
- What satisfaction does this product offer?
Today, more than ever, in a globalized world, branding is creating consumer groups. We identify, each time, by what we consume. We are what we consume. The question is addressed in the opposite direction today. The consumer is the one who has to answer “Who are you? Or, better said, tell me what you eat so I can tell Who You Are!” Belonging to a social group is also highlighted by the brands we use. The Armani suit, Bally shoes, the Christian Lacroix shirt, the Rolex watch are elements of a certain social status and the guarantee of a well-defined personal image.
There are people who are willing to walk more than a 1km to buy the Marlboro cigarette pack, or others who are waiting for hours for a ticket to the Taylor Swift concert. There are people for whom their Harley Davidson motorcycle has earned the value of a member of their own family. There are people who can't take a step without wearing their Bally shoes. What happens? Are these people subjective? Are they victims of advertising manipulation? Why is one product so important in relation to the others. What makes an individual not accept any "substitute" for their favorite product? The answer is simple! Confidence, the certainty that that product (and not another) can give him full satisfaction. For them that product is unique, it is the best, and especially it cannot be replaced !! That is, after all, the quintessence of a valuable brand. It is unique and ... irreplaceable! But the brand also has an important psycho-social function. It positions and assures us a certain social status, transferring all the values with which the consumer is credited.
