Postcards from the Bleeding Edge
Pathologically...
I paste Post-Its over every brand name in sight in MY kitchen - killing off Kenmore, masking Miletta Mill & Grill. I even cover up the clock... I shoved every visible food and supply down into places where I couldn't see them, then sat back in my kitchen chair and relaxed somewhat. I could look around my kitchen, and have a thought-train almost complete - it was... it was... there was still something else wrong - maybe it was the colors, or the clashing styles... the different colored post-its, the shelf made of not quite the right wood...
The phone rings... and rings... and rings. You don't pick it up because the last three times you did, it was somebody trying to sell you a subscription for something.
Mike Taht kindly posted a comment on a earlier article. He pointed me at his 'rant' (?), 'Beating the Brand'.
I feel after reading it I need to post a profound comment; I can feel Mike's pain from the writing, and I guess that is the essence of a good writer.
The story itself does make you question the reality that we live in, with brands plastered everywhere. I remember walking around Cadbury's World in Birmingham, seeing the old packaging that had Chocolate on it (and perhaps somewhere a mention of Cadbury Bros.) I cannot turn anywhere in work without seeing a brand for something and what does it add?
Its not aname or even a logo that I find offensive. Its the arrogance that assumes, if we shout long enough, we've done our job. Wouldn't it be better to give people something useful, listen to their comments and improve?