Essay reponse to NO LOGO by Naomi Klein
In the Book No Logo, Naomi Klein discusses at length a trend that has been becoming increasingly dominant over the culture of the United States for the last fifteen years. The phenomenon of branding, whose logo itself is only a graphic expression, has taken on extraordinary importance over the last decade. After an initial period where the products themselves were dominant, the power gradually passed to the notion of the brand as an entity, putting the product in second place. In their race for territory, the brands have progressively taken over new spaces, planting their flags on terrain that was previously protected from advertising (public schools, for example). With no domain seemingly beyond their reach, they aroused strong vocal opposition. This 'mythic' power of the logo or the brand can be seen at work when political protesters go after the most visible symbols of the United States, such as McDonalds or Coca-Cola. Their goal is to undo or negate the incredible power acquired by the brands in a world dominated by image. For some analysts, brands serve another purpose. They fill the void left by the decline in ideologies and religions. On the flip side, this new position leaves them even more exposed and fragile than before
No matter how bleak the situation into which we have been thrown by this new “global image economy, “it does offer opportunities. We need only invent them. By understanding our living and working context, we blow open, if only for an instant, avenues of honesty and liberty not yet charted or even explored. I have taken much from this book, maybe not what the definition of brand is, but what brand should be: a brand should be an honest reflection of what the product is, without hype, without lies, without manipulation. The Author’s case is very convincing. Throughout No Logo, she supports this belief of undemocratic brands taking over our jobs, our taste, and our humanity. Klein reproaches the global brands not only for their shameless exploitation of workers in sweatshops in developing countries and for their selfish pollution of the planet, but also for colonizing our minds and our lives. In No Logo, A brand is defined as “a cultural transitional object.” The things a marketer or designer produces, a consumer buys and an advertising agency make appealing, extend into life in this modern world the process of simultaneously merging with, and differentiating ourselves from the world of others. With brands we assert moods, tastes, whims and aspirations for change. After the extremely gloomy outlook of the first three sections, it's a relief to finally arrive at the fourth, in which Klein deals with the rising tide of opposition to brand-based invasions of space, choice, and employment opportunities. Klein believes that there is hope after all. In chapter sixteen, “A Tale Of Three Logos”, Klein looks at three specific cases in which large corporations, and by association the brands that they promote, got their wrists slapped. She examines Nike, which has been repeatedly beaten up over the sweatshop issue, Shell, who got into trouble over their presence in Nigeria and their suspected influence on the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, and lastly McDonald's, who made the disastrous decision to sue a couple of pamphleteers for “McLibel” and ended up being humiliated in the longest trial in British legal history. But why does one person choose Coke over Pepsi over Dr. Pepper over the store brand? Ultimately, a brand does more than differentiate itself among items that are similar. Nike not only stands out in the world of shoes, but as a sponsor of athletic events, and even, as mentioned earlier, the aspect “Sport” itself. A brand's identity also “makes the consumer”. The consumer chooses the brand that makes them feel most socially confident and wears this as a badge, proving that they are “with it.” Naomi Klein calls this kind of control undemocratic, and that the ways we approach ever
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Naomi Klein,
Jobs Logo,
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McDonalds Coca-Cola,
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Philippines Logo's,
Ken Saro-Wiwa,
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klein discusses,
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Approximate Word count = 1843
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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