Welcome to the Louis Vuitton Church
At this time of year, people s thoughts start drifting towards the upcoming holidays, the break from work and the much-needed time that will be spent with loved ones. For many of us, in one form or another, it s also time when religion comes to the fore.
Whether you re Jewish and preparing for Channukah (the Festival of Lights), Christian and eagerly looking forward to Christmas (the birth day of Christ), or Buddhist and are preparing for Bodhi Day (commemorating the day Buddha experienced enlightenment), you are willingly, or unwillingly, partaking in what is, in my opinion, the second greatest marketing and branding exercise of all time. (I still think that selling bottled water is the greatest marketing idea ever thought up, but that s
a topic for another day...).
Think about it: 99% of people, no matter where in the world they are, recognise the majority of religious symbols. Christians have their logo (the cross), Jews theirs (the Magen David a.k.a. Star of David), Buddhists have the Sitting Buddah and the list goes on and on. What would Nike, or any brand for that matter, give for that kind of complete worldwide dominance?
Wherever you travel on the planet, religious symbols are known, respected (on the whole anyway) and followed. Because, if you really think about it, following the ideals portrayed by that brand is what religion is all about. We go to our various houses of worship to be told what to do. In the same way, we follow what branding tells us to do - if Nike brought out a new style shirt (branded with their logo of course) people would buy it. In essence,
it is dictating what you wear, by choosing what kind of apparel it places its logo on.
Funny thing though, now that I think about it, is how many people would willingly display religious symbols on their clothing / accessories / possessions. Picture this: You're walking down the street one day and someone offers you a brand new (excuse the pun) Calvin Klein shirt, emblazened with the logo on the breast pocket, free of charge. You d take it without a second thought, and wear it proudly. But, if your local church gave you the same shirt, with its details on the pocket instead of the Calvin Klein logo, would you still wear it as proudly? Probably not...
We tend to draw some sort of a associaltion from a brand, whereas before, it was through religion. We have an affiliation with certain brands, and in essence, draw some sort of identity from them, reflecting the qualities associated with that brand onto ourselves.
In a roundabout kind of way, brands are learning from religion and in some cases, getting their inspiration from it too. Both use the benefits of mass reach to promote their ideals in the most cost effective manner possible.
By the way, I'm going to Rosebank Mall this weekend - Anyone keen to come worship with me?
I write a regular marketing column for Invisage, a subsection of IE Magazine. Read it here with the most recent listed first.