Why do brands cause trouble A dialectical theory of consumer culture and branding

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Why do brands cause trouble? A dialectical
theory of consumer culture and branding

• Holt, 2002 in JCR

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(No Transcript)
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The modern branding paradigm cultural
engineering
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The postmodern branding paradigm relevant and
authentic cultural resources
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The post-postmodern condition brands as
citizen-artists
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The Post-Postmodern condition (I)

• Brands as citizen-artists
• Focus on the brands contribution as a cultural
  resource
• Consumers will look for brands to contribute
  directly to their identity projects by providing
  original and relevant cultural materials with
  which to work. So brands will become another form
  of expressive culture, no different in principle
  from films or television programs or rock bands
  (which, in turn, are increasingly treated and
  perceived as brands). Brands that create worlds
  that strike consumers imaginations, that inspire
  and provoke and stimulate, that help them
  interpret the world that surrounds them, will
  earn kudos and profits.
• Brands need an original point of view that they
  can claim as their own
• Rather than take a free ride on the backs of
  pop stars, indie films, and social viruses,
  brands will be valued to the extent that they
  deliver creatively, similar to other cultural
  products
• CHK FOOTNOTE 2

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The Post-Postmodern condition (II)

• Brands as citizen-artists
• Why do brands cause trouble?
• Of the brands that are able to make the
  transition to provide original cultural
  materials, consumers will carefully weed out
  those that they do not trust. Brands now cause
  trouble, not because they dictate tastes, but
  because they allow companies to dodge civic
  obligations.
• The antibranding movement is now forcing
  companies to build lines of obligation that link
  brand and company. As consumers peel away the
  brand veneer, they are looking for companies that
  act like a local merchant, as a stalwart citizen
  of the community. What consumers will want to
  touch, soon enough, is the way in which companies
  treat people when they are not customers. Brands
  will be trusted to serve as cultural source
  materials when their sponsors have demonstrated
  that they shoulder civic responsibilities as
  would a community pillar.