The Power Behind the Brand

A company's ultimate goal is to make their product a household name, to make their brand logo recognizable all over the world. When populations begin using brand names as verbs (ie. Let me Xerox that. Go Google it. Will you Windex the windows?) that company has most likely met their goal. When the general population has replaced a the name of a simple action with a brand, that brand suddenly becomes extremely powerful.

                                                This video illustrates the power of a brand

Of course there are also other brands that are not used as verbs, but whose logos are recognized all over the world (ie. Coca Cola, Toyota, Honda). We live in a world that is powered by brand names and a population that generally turns their noses up at generic brands. I did a project in AP psychology last year determining if people are more likely to buy brand name grocery products than generic and whether there is actually a difference in the product received in both options. My group bought a box of brand name Nilla Wafers and a box of generic grocery store brand Nilla Wafers. The generic brand cookies were cheaper than the brand name, but they tasted exactly the same according to our blind taste test. We then completed a taste test in which the boxes were displayed next to each cookie, and the general consensus was that the brand name cookies tasted better than the generic, illustrating the power held in a brand name.

One thing you may have noticed at the grocery store is that the generic products are often packaged in less decorative and sturdy material. This makes the product less appealing but cheaper to manufacture because less material is used, meaning less waste in our landfills (!!). Take home message part one: Generic brands don't bite!!

Many of these big name brands continue to use large amounts of material in manufacturing their products in order to keep up appearances, but some have become influential in creating competition among more environmentally friendly products. Bottled water companies, for example, now use their plastic reduction as a marketing ploy because more and more people have started using reusable bottles. In 1999, Honda released the first hybrid car in the United States, which has influenced competition between Honda, Toyota, and Ford especially to create the most popular hybrid car as oil supplies are depleted and gas prices rise. To view the history of the hybrid car click here.

The efforts made by these big name companies have contributed to the global awareness in our world about the endangered state of our Earth. This is a start, but the ultimate goal is for this power to trickle down to smaller organizations, the generic Nilla Wafers of the world. Take home message part two: If you have power, use it!! If you don't, knock down the doors of those who do until your voice is heard!!