Subash Gurung
Kathmandu, December 28: Oh, I can’t live without my Blackberry. I always keep checking whether there is any missed call or message.” “I like Gucci. It’s expensive, but worth it. Those bags match my lifestyle”. “Reebok is my favorite brand: it always me the feeling of ecstasy”.
We have all heard such statements in our day to day life. The reason is simply that a lot of hype is associated with brands and people want to use them to gain appreciation and to fit into the word of glamour.
Brands make an everlasting impression while wearing kitsch and local labels spoil your personality and impression. Children are not behind the brand race either. They want Nike shoes to play football –it gives then confidence and a sense of pride. Just a mention of brands brings happiness and feelings of comfort in the eyes of children, contentment in teenagers and desire for more in adults. Are Nike, Addidas and the like music to your ears? Does a brand name transform an ordinary piece into an object par excellence in your eyes? Do you feel that if a particular thing is branded, it has to be good? Then you are obsessed by brands.
Apparel, accessories, electronic appliances, foodstuff, cosmetics, no sphere left untouched by the presence of brands. From the toothpaste to the bathroom interiors, eyeglass to the pens, brands have made their foray into each and every little segment. It is the result of increasing spending power of the people coupled with the desire to be labeled elite and maintain a status in high society.
Today, branded goods have moved from exclusivity to must-haves to a way of life. These goods are simply meeting a desire labels are a welcome opportunity to flaunt wealth. It would seem that every one – from bored housewives, to office ladies celebrating their independence to scholars or kids keeping up with trends, to young executive seeking to impress, to heads of industry enjoying the top – has reasons to buy branded goods.
It’s not a present- day craze though. I believe psychological factors are responsible for this. We all feel thee need to be noticed, be a bigger house in a better colony/city/country. Aren’t all these different kinds of brands? Most of us want to be identified with a bigger, better name. It gives us self-esteem, be it in the company we work, school we study in. young people have a higher needs to be accepted by their peer groups and to boost their self-esteem and ego. No wonder they are so brand obsessed.
