Trademarks

Bass Red Triangle:

• Bass & Co Brewery was established by William Bass in 1777
• pioneer in international brand marketing
• Red Triangle for pale ale; Red Diamond for their strong ale
• first trademark to be registered in Britain in 1876

Bar in den Folies-Bergère by Edouard Manet (1882)

• a brand is a product + its trademark, name, reputation and the associations built up around it via advertising, product placements, etc
• brands function to associate human values with corporations & their products
• in order to associate themselves with a specific identity, corporations often
• shows the type of person that uses their products
• brands are supposed to personify what a corporation stands for; its ideology
• corporations generally produce so many diverse products that brand identities are a way to unify & solidify their presence in consumers‟ lives
• if you‟ve had a good experience with a brand before you‟re more likely to try something new by the same brand

• many blamed the Great Depression (1929- 1939) on corporate greed & mismanagement
• in an attempt to restore people‟s faith in corporations, “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) appeared in the 1930s
• different to the philanthropy of preceding eras, where land (parks), libraries, hospitals, art, etc, was gifted to the nation or local area by the wealthy
• corporations endeavour to market themselves as invested in society & responsive to consumer needs
• however, corporations cannot be concerned with “externalities” unless they impact on profit
• “The corporation‟s legally defined mandate is to pursue, relentlessly and without exception, its own self-interest, regardless of the often harmful consequences it might cause to others.”
• Joel Bakan, Professor of Law, University of British Columbia

Culture jammers - subvert and interrupt the language of branding

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