Brand Expands by Naomi Klein

¶ … Brand Expands" by Naomi Klein Branding and Brand Expansion: The Usurpation of Human Cultures and Creation of Brand Culture in "The Brand Expands" by Naomi Klein In the second chapter of her book No Logo, entitled "The Brand Expands," author Naomi Klein illustrated the beneficial and detrimental effects of branding not only to the commercial landscape, but also and most importantly, to the social landscape as well.

Most salient in this chapter was Klein's illustration of how brands and branding have taken over people's lives, even going so far as to 'dictate' their choices in future consumption and personal lifestyle. In her book, Klein's main thesis focuses on the detriment that branding has caused to modern, capitalist societies all over the world, but most especially to the United States. The chapter's main thesis is: branding and brand expansion resulted to the usurpation of human cultures and creation of a brand culture controlled by companies and corporations.

To support this thesis, excerpts and statements from the chapter will be discussed in the sections that follow.

Three insights were gleaned from Klein's discussion in the book: (i) the logo as a representation of the brand has become independent from the products it is emblazoned on, and identified alone for what it is, an identifiable brand and logo; (ii) the logo transcended from being commercial to social, as it increased its presence and usefulness in meaningful events in different cultures and societies; and (iii) brand expansion eventually led to the 'commodification' of the individual, of the "flesh," as brands and logos have become more invasive and influential in the lives of contemporary, commercialized societies.

Klein determined the "scaling-up of the logo" as an illustration of how the material became a strong concept in the minds of the consumers. According to the author, "logos have grown so dominant that they have essentially transformed the clothing on which they appear into empty carriers for the brands they represent" (158-9). As posited earlier, the logo transformed from being a consumable material to being a strong concept/idea in the minds of the consumers.

This transformation from material to idea means the influence of the brand is increasingly becoming pervasive, affecting people's consumption, lifestyle, perceptions, and even realities. The most salient example of a logo that has encompassed the material to eventually become an idea is McDonald's.

The McDonald's logo has been associated for the longest time as representing the strongest brand in the fast food industry; however, over time, it has evolved to an idea, and became the symbol for efficiency not only in the food service industry, but for other industries as well. That is why when referring to "McDonaldization" of an industry or sector in society, this means that it has reached a higher level of standardization and efficiency.

Processes and workflow are well-defined and shortened to achieve quickness and efficiency, achieving optimization with the least resources available or used. The logo became the mother of all "fasts" in the world -- fast food, fast service.

McDonald's logo remains a strong concept in today's cultures because of its relevance even in the 'faster' culture of Internet and computer technologies, since the very same principles used to elevate McDonald's to being an efficient food and service delivery organization are still applied in processes and workflow in today's real-life and virtual (i.e., Internet- and computer-mediated) organizations and industries. Brand expansion does not stop from being an idea only.

Further into Klein's argument against brand expansion, she also established how the idea becomes the norm, as logos began representing the social as well -- that is, cultures that "alter" the perceptions and realities of people based on the brand it was 'based on.' The author argued, "[t]he effect, if not always the original intent, of advanced branding is to nudge the hosting culture into the background and make the brands the star. It is not to sponsor culture but to be the culture" (160).

The phenomenon of making of the logo as the culture of society can be traced back to the popularity of event sponsorships as a strategy for brand expansion. In an attempt to make people more aware and familiar with their brands and logos, promotional strategies have become more customized to specific demographics and cultures.

As a way to reach out to as many people as possible, companies developed event sponsorships that are unique to a community or group, and, as Klein stated, make their brand and logo the "star" of the event rather than the people or event itself. However, once these cultures are 'penetrated' by the logo, they will transform to another kind of culture, a culture that is centered on the logo alone. Festivals are examples of the dominance of brand sponsorship strategies.

Before, local festivals are known for their uniqueness and historical significance in the particular locale or community in which it is celebrated. With the invasion of brand and corporate sponsorships, festivals have become merely "aesthetic parades" that advertise the brand or logo, who are incidentally the sponsors of the said event. The history and event's significance get lost along the way, as people are exposed to more brand and logo exposure than the festival or event itself.

The most pervasive type of brand expansion has been the "commodification of humans," as they become the embodiment of brands and logos. In fact, humans have become the 'material' through which logos are carried, advertised, and identified. Klein uses the Nike example to illustrate this high level of brand expansion pervasiveness. As one of the superbrands that exists today, Nike's swoosh logo is a perfect example of how the logo became independent of the products it sells and events that it sponsors.

Because of its effectiveness and popularity, the swoosh logo can stand for itself, and can represent the Nike brand even without any accompanying material or idea. In fact, the swoosh logo.