During this week, we focused on the reading ‘Ways of seeing’ by John Berger. This reading was so interesting for me, as Berger conveys such relevant information that I have never thought of before. Publicity is so broad, and because we see it every day- we are so scarce to its total impact. Publicity images go further than just the product being sold; they seem to offer more. They advertise transformation of one’s self, by buying something more. As said by John Berger, “This more, it proposes, will make us in some way richer- even though we will be poorer by having spent out money”. We are persuaded to believe that we will become richer and better by buying such an item. When in fact, you are being poor to look richer. This is evident today through the advertisement of cars or clothing. The advertisement goes beyond the product to show scenarios that we may envy. For example, models with good looks and success are used which may aspire you to be like them. It may be thought that if you purchase the product, you’ll be one step closer to being more attractive. Publicity makes their audience believe they can be transformed by this particular product, making them enviable. “The state of being envied is what constitutes glamour, and publicity is the process of manufacturing glamour.” 

In the lecture we looked over the concept of Visual Identity and the history behind it. This leads on to Branding. Branding derived from the word “Brandr”, a word from the Ancient Norse meaning “to burn”. There was a rise of mass production in the 1820’s where branding evolved into a symbol of quality rather than ownership. Before the concept of Logo’s came around, Trademarks were used to signify the origin or quality of a particular product. If a product had branding on it, it was seen as upper class and great quality and looked like it was definitely worth the money. This is extremely still relevant today as there is such a scale behind brands these days. For example, clothing brands such as Gucci, Prada or Louis Vuitton have such a high name as they are believed to be upper class and resemble wealthy fortune. Although, for me, the clothing and products made by these brands aren’t more aesthetically pleasing then “lower class” brands. But the reason the products sell is because of the name behind it, and if people have the money, they’ll reach for these brands to show wealth and security. 

Coca Cola contributed to the start of the notion brand benefits. I was astounded to hear that it is because of Coca Cola that Santa Claus came to be red and white. He started out as St Nicholas, wearing Blue and White- later being used in a Coca Cola advertisement where his outfit changed to match the company’s logo colours (red and white). 

Below is a video that I found on the strategies behind Coca Cola’s marketing and advertisements.