I'm sitting here reading hard for my Charities and Social Enterprise Management cert ed and the current piece of work I'm doing is around marketing and trying to define my brand. I really am the marketing mans dream, I believe so much of the hype around products I always try and buy Sony or apple, I shop at m and s for my food yet paradoxically I buy all my clothes on eBay and charity shops but there again that's another brand of social responsibility I'm sucked into.I'm trying to define our prospective new social enterprise as a brand, where would it shop, what car would it drive and so on. This has got me thinking what brand do you most associate yourself with and why? In a society bombarded with media marketing on our social networks, Internet browsers, spam to our phones, adverts on tv and newspapers we are all segmented and analysed. What age are we, sex, home owner, pets, car, professional the let is endless everyday we are sold things because someone has found the unique selling point of their product and then targeted us to buy it. Has this always been the case? Three hundred years ago was there some group of marketing men huddled together to sell local women the latest turnip. Mmm probably not but there were still aspirational aspects, people would see nobles out and about smoking, eating potatoes, wearing ruffs and the common people (you and me) would dream of having these things. Is that so different to people clamouring to buy a copy of Kate's shoes or dresses when she is photographed at royal functions? The main difference is three hundred years ago people just did not get exposed to things in the same way, there were papers of sorts but you had to be able to read or have the money to buy. Most things were either experienced with your own eyes or through a third party by a song or story. Singing was twitter and Facebook for the olden days!
So I digress what would you be if you were a brand, me I think I would be fairy washing up liquid, known by many, trusted, sometimes a little to mild, but soft and gentle. Ironic really as I have a dishwasher.
Wish me luck with my assignment this diversion must now come to an end while I get back to the books!