INT270 Assignment 1: Brands, Impressions and Emotions

Title: Brands, Impressions and Emotions

In today’s world, first impressions are formed through brands. The brand of shoes you wear, the bag your carry, the car you drive and even the school that you go to. People use these brands to shout out their social status or personal identity. Sometimes people use these brands to hide certain insecurities they have about themselves or to portray an image different from their real self.

However, if one considers what all these brands are all about, they are merely name and reputations that has gone through extensive advertising to artificially create their desired image in our heads.

Furthermore, is there a difference of how men and women perceive brands? There may be some men who thinks that spending thousands on a bag is pointless but would be quick to defend why they spend hundreds of thousands on their fast cars.


Objective:
To explore the meaning of brands that people carry and how they personally feel about these brands


Performance:
A single performer will walk down a street decked in branded clothing and make a few stops on the way.


Performers:
Audience and Performer


Setting:
For my performance, I have chosen Orchard Road in Singapore as it is the shopping paradise of Singapore. Major brands are all located there and people visit these places to buy these brands.

Post - Interview:
People are evidently brand conscious and would form an impression on people based on the brands they carry. As most brands are well-publicized, these brands do project a certain image rather quickly. Like one would associate sportiness with Nike or Adidas and being well off with LV or Gucci. One of the interviewee would buy branded goods because she feels that people around her are brand conscious and would be quick to judge, therefore to portray a more professional image, branded items are a must for her. Whereas for another interviewee, she chooses to buy branded goods to signify a monetary achievement such as gains from the stock market.

On the other hand, brands which were viewed once as being exclusive may soon see their brand value erode away. With people’s rising affluence, brands are fast becoming common rather than exclusive. Take for example Rolex; one of the interviewee didn’t feel that exclusive or special wearing a Rolex watch as he felt that it has become too common. It seems such that the more people own a particular brand, the less people value it.

As for my personal experience while being decked out in very outstanding brands, I personally felt more “noticed” and confident. However, this only happened while I was on the train from Pasir Ris. Once I stepped onto Orchard Road, the stares no longer exist as it becomes quite a common to see people decked out in branded clothing and goods.