Brands
Identities and Counterculture

cover del artículo Marcas, Identidades y Contracultura

PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE

In this article, I will analyze brands and the identities that have had an impact on my life, from the theoretical perspective of iconicity, identity, consumption, culture, and counterculture in branding. I will conclude with a audiovisual presentation from 3 selected brands.

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When I was little, I remember that most of my toys were cars and action figures from that brand Action Man. I loved the action figures whose limbs could bend and rotate. I also had thousands of pieces of Lego and I could spend hours and hours playing, completely losing track of time. Of course, playing in the afternoons with my Bollycao as a snack. My mom had to buy me one every day so I wouldn't misbehave, because, of course, I had to get the surprise sticker from “such-and-such” brand that came with the package. But I really started to “feel” strongly about brands in high school, specifically when it came to sportswear Nike and the technology of Sony.

Whenever I went with my mom to buy a T-shirt or a pair of sneakers from Nike...I would ask the clerk if they could give me some stickers so I could stick them in my school books and folders. I loved graphics, logos, and sports brand symbols, and I loved drawing them on sheets of paper.

Regarding Sony...the mere fact that anything would bear his name gave me a pleasant feeling. To me, that was the greatest thing at the time—someone who had a TV or a Walkman Sony had my respect and admiration for life. In fact, the video game console Playstation It really left an impression on me. I was so obsessed with that product from Sony...I promised my mom I'd do all the housework for a whole year if she bought it for me. I remember exactly the day my mom bought it for me; it cost 20,000 pesetas back then. That day was the happiest day of my life—I had the most powerful console in the world in my hands, and it was a Sony, nothing could be more wonderful.

On the other hand, I used to watch a lot of TV and would watch all kinds of shows, cartoons, movies, and so on. There wasn't much variety back then, so the number of public channels was limited, as was their programming. Antena 3 It became my favorite without me even realizing it. I started by watching the “Club Megatrix” cartoons, their TV shows, their games, and so on. Then I got into afternoon news programs, game shows, and “El Peliculón” in the evenings.

One way or another, I liked Antena 3—I liked its content, its characters, its format, its graphics and colors, the logo, and, in short, the brand. If I ever thought of switching over to a competitor like La1 or Telecinco, no matter what was going on at the time, I’d tell myself, “I don’t like it, take it out,” simply because it wasn’t Antena 3.

A little later in my teens, when desktop computers were something only upper-middle-class people had, I came across Windows, the operating system par excellence that almost all users relied on. My parents bought me my first PC in high school, and I was just starting to get into that technology. In fact, I came across the brand Toshiba, which really stood out in laptops. A friend of mine had one and was always showing me the things he’d done with it, how fast it was, how great it was… and so on. From that point on, I fell in love with that brand, and I’ve had a laptop ever since ToshibaI'm writing this review on a laptop right now Toshiba, 🙂

 

 

SELECTION AND ANALYSIS OF 5 RELEVANT BRANDS

The brands selected by category are:

Coca-Cola (food and drink), Nike (sports,) Antena 3 (media), Stars Wars (entertainment) and Sony (technology).

Antena 3

- Antena 3 It has created new television formats based on viewers’ needs while also engaging with them through social media, phone calls, contests, promotional emails, and more. In some formats, for example, viewers have been allowed to create the program’s content themselves. Listening to and understanding its users has been key to building brand loyalty. It has also successfully adapted to the audience’s new demands with the boom in streaming and on-demand TV, where viewers have access to personalized content at any time.

The Coca-Cola Company

– Coca-ColaIt has always stood out for its marketing and advertising, in addition to its mysterious, time-honored recipe. It has always shone thanks to its powerful advertising campaigns and its appeal to a market with no age limits or borders. Its goal has always been to make the consumer the absolute star. A key factor in its success has been the creation of original content and ideas that quickly went viral.

Technology helped—and continues to help—the brand expand across the globe thanks to cross-platform connectivity, and it has enabled the rapid spread of that “Coca-Cola culture.” The company’s strong commitment to creative storytelling has allowed Coca-Cola to convey a unified and coordinated brand experience. Overall, a brand so deeply rooted in society and firmly established in the marketplace has succeeded in creating a “culture of happiness” as a way of life.

Star Wars Universe

- Stars Wars Within the film and entertainment industries, it sparked a large-scale social and cultural movement that went so far as to have an impact on politics, aviation, and cinema. Its references in films are deeply rooted in popular culture, as both the characters and the lines they speak are widely recognized across many countries and have become part of the lexicon of modern culture. From the texts of the trilogies to the distinctive soundscapes created in the productions, they have influenced society in one way or another—whether by creating spaces specifically designed for this type of content, television shows, stand-up comedy, or by inspiring and boosting the science fiction film genre, etc.

Sony

- SonyForty years ago, it was considered an inferior Japanese brand and had little recognition within the industry. They had to fight hard to establish themselves and needed to create something innovative to stand out; that’s how the first compact portable radio was born. This catapulted them into the technology sector and spurred them on to create new technological devices such as the Walkman, the tv “Trinitron”, Discman players, or its crown jewel, its video game console “Playstation”.

Following a very efficient chronological progression Sony It was building a reputation as a leading tech brand and fostering consumer loyalty that would later pay off. Ever since I was a child, I’ve always had great admiration for this brand, and I could only associate it with something amazing, something grand, and technologically cutting-edge. In one way or another, it has been a part of the best moments of my life.

Nike

- Nike It is a sports brand worn by most people—or at least one that someone has bought to “feel like a hero.” Its focus on advertising campaigns designed to motivate consumers to exercise and feel like heroes has made Nike one of the most recognizable brands in sports culture. It serves as a benchmark and a symbol of identity for athletes who prioritize their health and well-being.

AUDIOVISUAL PRESENTATION

  • Screenplay, editing, and post-production: Marco Pontes García
  • Voice-over: José Molina (Voice actor)
Sources:

Klein, N. (2000): «El nuevo mundo de las marcas». No logo: el poder de las marcas (p. 31-54).

Gordillo Rodríguez, M.T., Duarte Garzón, I., García Callejón, J. y Martínez Medina, C. (2013): “Las marcas icono y su gestión a través de las redes sociales. Un caso práctico».

Zilles, K.; Cuenca, J.; Rom, J. VII International Conference on Communication and Reality. Breaking the media value chain (p.143-149).

Gustavo Gill, cop. (2010): «El consumo del diseño (cap. 4)». En: Guy Julier. La cultura del diseño. (p. 79-100)

Klein, N. (2005): «El patriarcado se hace funky». No logo: el poder de las marcas (p. 141-164).

Coca-Cola: < https://www.coca-colacompany.com/careers/our-culture >

Antena 3: < https://www.antena3.com/ >

Sony: < https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/

CorporateInfo/purpose_and_values/ >

Unsplash: < https://unsplash.com >

Pexel: < https://www.pexels.com >

Youtube: < https://www.youtube.com >