The Promise of Brand

The word “brand” gets thrown around a lot without fully understanding its meaning. There are a number of schools of thought about what brand means but they’re all wrong except for the one I believe. In an age where manufacturing has made products so similar, brand is used to convince consumers that this t-shirt is better than the other t-shirt or this leather walled it better than the next? Brand promises an intangible sensation beyond than the physical product itself. Nike doesn’t sell clothing they sell “sport”. Starbucks doesn’t sell coffee, they sell a “coffee experience”. What is brand worth in relation to the product? I liken it to Scrouge McDuck’s money bin.

Louis Vuitton is really one of the best examples of where the manufactured value of the product is overshadowed by the brand value. I got a perfect replica Louis Vuitton wallet as a gift from Canal Street in New York. As a social experiment I told some people that it was real to see the reaction. It’s amazing to see the reaction between those who think it’s real and those who know it’s fake. The wallet is virtually identical. It is made of leather, it’s brown and has a gold monogram patter across it. The replica is $5 and the fake is a cool $325. If you distil the situation, the difference in reactions is because of brand. I get completely different reactions for the exact same physical product depending on if they think its real or not.

Those who know it’s fake have a reaction of indifference. One person who thought it was real asked me to get it out of my pocket once to show her friend and talked about how handsome it was. Her eyes lit up as if observing a precious piece of art. Brand is a powerful thing. The Louis Vuitton wallet promises recognition and prestige while your standard leather wallet really just holds your money and cards. If you’re George Costanza is holds a lot more.

So I know I have bashed the Louis Vuitton stuff before to people. There’s something wrong with having to spend $30 on a leather wallet to replace the $5 one. Besides that, what’s better than having the embodiment of conspicuous consumption in your back pocket.