Logos and Luxury Don't Go Together?

The November 16, 2008 issue of the New York Times Magazine has an interesting piece titled "The Brand-ness of Strangers."

It reports some research on the effects brands have on us. Among other findings, people who saw photos that included a bottle of Dasani were more likely to choose that brand when given a choice of four brands, even though they didn't consciously notice the bottle when looking at the photograph (they were asked to focus on the expressions of the people, not other things in the photo).

The article concludes with a discussion of Ralph Lauren's many lines. The Polo logo is widespread, but the logo "is completely absent from Lauren's high-end subbrands, presumably on the theory that the discerning self-identities of such status-conscious consumers clash with flashing an emblem worn by the masses."

More on American Apparel

In the previous post, I mention American Apparel, which sells clothing with no logos. A little digging finds a more detailed 2005 article on the company from Inc.com:

"So what is this American Apparel? A company of basics built upon a foundation of simple, plain-colored T-shirts. Tees were the first items Charney produced when he set up shop in 1997 and still account for the lion's share of the business--but the line is spreading like a rash. Today American Apparel makes socks, underwear, sweatshirts, jackets, dresses, tank tops, polo shirts, baby clothes, dog clothes, and, as of this summer, swimwear. The clothes have no logos, no ornamentation, not a single flourish or bauble; differentiation comes from an array of colors that now includes fluorescents and from slim and sexy cuts that attract young buyers and allow the simple cotton garments to serve as something larger--core elements of a fashionable wardrobe."

The Best Brand? No Brand.

Such is the title of a brief story in the June 30, 2008 issue of Newsweek. It reviews Rob Walker's new book Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are (Random House, 2008). The article mentions two particularly interesting companies and logos (of lack thereof). Back in 2003, Dunkin' Donuts paid people to wear temporary tattoos on their foreheads. On the other hand, American Apparel sells clothing with no logos. I'm with them, and will have to look into their offerings.

TV Logos Revisited

Several months ago, I noted annoying "bugs" on television channels. Dish Network just revised its channel offerings, which encouraged me to go though the line-up to look for interesting new channels. Instead, I found new, and sometimes even more obnoxious, logos.

The first I noted was the History Channel's vivid red and gold logo:



The Discovery Channel made theirs more vivid as well, adding a rotating globe, which is not evident in this still, to further distract the viewer's attention from the programming:



The Learning Channel still wants to be in the running for impossible-to-ignore logos too, having made their previously obnoxious logo even more so:

Searching for a Logo-less Bicycle Helmet

Having decided I needed the exercise, I bought a bike. A helmet seems like a good idea. It's hard to find one without an obnoxious logo. Giro wants to make sure everyone knows you're wearing theirs:



Limar is a little better:



Bell at least keeps its logos small, but puts one on the front as well as the sides.



Trek looks to be the least obnoxious.



I need to do some more looking, but Trek so far seems to be the choice.

Public Logos

Leonard Pitts, Jr. dicusses corporate logos in public spaces in his column on April 16, 2008. His column is occasioned by the renaming of Shea Stadium to Citi Field. Stadiums used to be named after interesting people or locales. Pitts writes: "We don't do that so much anymore, name public spaces for people who have done things. Nor even for the cities in which things are done. The Miami Heat used to play in the Miami Arena. Now they play in an arena named for an airline. "

At least corporate sponsors have paid big bucks for the right to have their name displayed, unlike clothing or automobile manufacturers who ask us to pay to display their logos. I'm waiting for the day, however, when highways, trees, natural landmarks, and sidewalks will begin to sport paid advertising.

Appliance Logos

We've got an Amana microwave. The front constantly reminds me not only that is an Amana, but also that it is a Radarange, and that the name is a registered trademark. I want a microwave that heats things, not one that reminds me of its manufacturer and brand every time I use it.