We all know that one person who only wears a Champion shirt whenever you see them. That person who lives their lives covered in brands from head to toe. The person so into brands like Channel and MAC that they cannot, for their lives remember what happened a few hours ago, yet can somehow recite with clarity what the latest spring line of BURBERRY consists, or the street containing that newly opened NYX branch.
They don’t spend too much time thinking if they actually need the product, or if it’s at good quality, they simply have to own it, no matter what!
Hong Kong, which ranks among the world’s top five luxury destinations, has long been a magnet for brands attracted by the flow of visitors from mainland China. According to Bernstein analysts, the city accounts for between 5% and 10% of the estimated $285 billion annual global sales of luxury goods.
Hong Kong’s high percentage share of the luxury market and its famed nickname of “Asia World City” has attracted the attention of many international franchises and brands to set up flagship stores in its midst. And as a result, cultivated a culture of materialism.
And that’s when the key question pops up. What compels some people to love branded products so much?
Back when I was a freshman entering my orientation camp, the committee in charge called me up to inform me that they were going to provide us with some clothes to change into later, so without really thinking about it, as I was leaving the house that morning, I slapped on the first pair of shorts I could find; shorts my mom brought on sale a while ago.
Now if any of you have been in any one of CUHK’s orientation camps, you would know that normally, in standard procedure, one of the first things they would do is throw us around the city for a scavenger hunt known as “city hunt”, where we would run tasks with our peers to gain the most points possible. And one of these tasks, was eating local street food.
So after buying the food from the vendor, the food was passed around our group when I noticed the girl beside me take a glance at me. She took a quick skim at my shorts and leaned over to quietly whisper:
“Is this your first time having this?”
“Excuse me?” I replied
“This sort of street food. Is it your first time having that?”
I was flabbergasted. “What makes you think that?”
“Well you’re wearing GUCCI shorts, so I assumed that your house does not usually eat this sort of food”
“GUCCI Shorts?” I asked and looked down. Turns out, the shorts I had carelessly slapped on me had the GUCCI logo strewn on it, but ironically, because I really did not get these shorts from GUCCI, the large printed GUCCI on the shorts--- were actually “CUCCI”.
With a C.
However, this illustrates the point I was trying to make. There is an intrinsic value in the brand label that helps others identify values such as status and prosperity.
From her standpoint, the moment she saw what she thought was the GUCCI logo on my shorts, her initial perception of me associated me with what the GUCCI brand and what it represents. A brand marketed to be well known as offered only to the niche--- the staple of every lavish wealthy millionaire you see in movies and fashion magazines. To her, seeing the “GUCCI” logo on my shorts gave her the impression that I’m the rich kid.
They say that people use the first seven seconds of meeting someone new to form first impressions. And by assuming I use foreign luxury brands such as GUCCI, I definitely wouldn’t seem to be someone who usually eat at street vendors.
Although to be honest, for a moment that did make me feel quite cool.
But in essence, this illustrates the reason why we form such an association with our brands. Brands are marketed to promote a stigma that provides people with a shortcut in identifying the person we are. You see, products we use often reflect our tastes, status in society and economic background--- and we know that. In this generation, human values are measured by being known for “what you have and what you are”, and as such, we tend to unconsciously use branded products to express the qualities of how we would like to be perceived.
For most of us to be accepted as a capable person in this society, the fastest way often to do so is to dock ourselves in brands that would indicate our financial capabilities in procuring their products. Nowadays, as society has evolved and advanced to a stage there are more opportunities for people to gain a greater wealth, there is a greater emotional need for people to stand out from the others by making use of luxurious branded items to flaunt their social status, and thus receive social confirmation. Companies take advantage of this mentality to advertise their products so they would carry connotations of these stigmas, and by doing so, we are compelled to further our own image by purchasing these products.
And I believe that’s the way how society works. There is a Chinese phrase well known across many households called: “贏在起跑綫”, meaning to win over others by creating advantages that would push you to stand greater than everyone else. And if this advantage means getting to indulge in the feelings of glory and success that comes with using expensive brands, why not?
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