Enough of the same old gibberish about marketing and companies because frankly I'm bored of the subject. There are only so many things I can say about the grandeur of Starbucks' marketing tactics and the amazing adaptability of Coca Cola (however amazing the companies are). Let's go onto a subject which I personally love and better yet its an ever changing subject which continues to grow every day...


People. People brand themselves. We present ourselves all differently to enable our clothes, hair, jewelry, accessories, and whatever miscellaneous things we manage to carry or wear to set a certain first impression (or so we hope) about ourselves to one another.

Lets use a celebrity example of branding just to start us off. Britney Spears, currently a train-wreck in recovery, used to be quite a different person. She was first known as the innocent, American sweetheart, which almost every 10-16 year old girl wanted to emulate. She was on the cover over Rolling Stone Magazine, Sweet 16 and numerous other magazines. She started off her career launching her first couple major hits; "Baby One More Time" and "Oops! I Did It Again" both of which flew to the top of the charts. In all honesty, it wasn't just the electronically-corrected sound that made her famous. I mean look at her:

She's got the perfect smile, cute face, pretty eyes, and her hair is relaxed and feminine. The whole pose makes one go "aw, so sweet." Shes got the looks and the figure to pull it all off, shes also working the innocent angel look and in combination with her catchy song tunes, the music industry shot her to the top of the music charts. Alright yes, we all know that to be in the music business you have to have the whole package. Not a trait to be admired of the industry, but hey, its reality. So Britney sporting the innocent look got kinda boring for us viewers eh? Fast forward a couple years and we hit Britney's next major album song hit "Toxic," which took a slightly different twist on things...

Britney Spears "Toxic" Cover

Still working the blond hair, the cute facial expression is still there but apparently it was shirtless day at work for Ms. Spears. So, the industry decided that it was time for her to show some skin to gain...popularity? Does adding the element of sensuality collect more of an audience? Arguably, yes.

Moving right along a few more years down the starlit pathway and we hit another one of her albums, "Blackout" which was even more so of a bare-all situation...

Britney Spears "Blackout"

What's the point of looking at the development of Britney you ask? Notice the thoughts you have of her when she produced her first album compared to her later albums. A bit different isn't it? The way we present ourselves greatly influences what people think of us. That's nothing new to anyone but consider this; if a girl goes to the bar in a pair of clean jeans, respectable top, and maybe a cute cardigan she's bound to get a different type of attention than a girl who shows up in a short skirt, high heels, and tight, v-neck top. Its really a simple concept and yet the grasp of this particular concept seems to be vague for many people.

If you don't seem to get the type of attention that you want from others it could have something to do with what your wearing...or not wearing.

Seek And Ye Shall Not Find

Open a Vogue, Bazaar, or Elle Magazine and you will never see a Louboutin ad. Every female on the planet who knows anything about fashion knows the trademark red sole. Known for outrages, expensive, and highly fashionable, Louboutin can be found in various high fashion stores in Canada such as Holt Renfrew and American stores such as Macy's. These retail stores never promote or show a particular ad for Louboutin, so how do the majority of fashionistas know about these luxury shoes? Cesare Paciotti and Jimmy Choo are two primary competitors of Louboutin, who advertise in high fashion magazines right along side Prada and Miu Miu and yet we know all of the brands above, on average, equally.What's impressive is that Louboutin manages to maintain its reputation among fashion designers and clientele without a single ad. Nothing like saving a couple million dollars by not putting an ad in a magazine or up on a billboard. Not sure how Louboutin manages to pull that off but congrats, the red sole has really walked a thousand miles and made the brand.  

"Get Your Island On"

Lounging and relaxing with the waves licking your toes, the sun's warm rays scattered along the pale sands, palm tree leaves swaying gently in the warm breeze, and a white rum beverage or chilled beer sitting idle on the table beside you sounds like a day in paradise for many people. When you think of a tropical getaway we often think of beaches and time away from work, we also think of sipping beverages and long nights under the stars. 

Malibu Rum, often associated with pina coladas and other fruity beverages, are often geared towards the female gender in an age range of legal drinking age to late 40s to early 50s. Known to be a more tropical alcoholic mix option, Malibu sells not only its white rum taste but also the concept of "summer fun" and the holiday get-away. It inspires a relaxed feeling which greatly adds to its appeal. Corona beer has inspired a similar feeling to their beverage except it caters to the masculin crowd and lesser to the female gender. Both these alcoholic products prove popular in North American cities as well as South American cities geared often towards tourists.

Specifically in regards to print advertisements, both companies use bright, happy, tropical colors. Their commercials have a light sense of humor and are catchy to listen to making their effect on the consumer long lasting. In a simple equation we can deduce the following: Malibu + Corona = Fun...that's an easy message to remember (even for all the guys out there ;P)...oh one more thing: please drink responsibly.

Too Much Sex?

Sex. The world seems to focus on sex simply because sexy catches the eye. Understandably an elegant pair of woman's legs will hold the attention of both males and females more so than an adorable kitten. Sexy advertisements plague our magazines, our TVs, and billboards, all of which are competing for our attention. We're attracted to the perfect chiseled chest on male models, and the well-toned and perfectly groomed legs of the women. Men are attracted to the provocatively dressed women, and women alike admire the god-like figures of both male and female models. What is it about attractive models in sexy adverts that sell the products? Does that half naked beautiful model really inspire us to buy the product? When does an advertisement scream too much sexy?

Advertisers understand the eye-drawing power of a sexy commercial or ad however the emotional response from consumers has to be considered. Nudity and graphic content hardly ever inspire positive feelings and can often be classified as a "cheap shot." Cheap shots can harm a company's brand and drive customers away. Often a good approach can be to imply sexual content rather than directly. Some advertisement photos often associated with sports cars and exotic cars can be seen as cheap while brands such as Dolce & Gabbana and Heineken have found a balance between selling their products and using sexual content implicitly.

Take A Bite Of Apple

Driving force behind Apple's marketing is the company's message which has been instilled in every advertisement, service, and product. Apple's products are designed to fit the lifestyle of a vast majority of people in a wide age range. Although Apple's prices are a bit of a reach for some consumers the elegant style, competitive quality, and range of products Apple houses have been sold to over 50 million people in the United States alone (cellular-news.com) and the number continues to grow.