In the reading, “No Logo” by Naomi Klein, the branding, marketing, and production strategies of modern day clothing companies and corporations are discussed in an unfavorable manner. Klein sheds light on the sudden and drastic changes in the way these corporations have decided to produce and brand their goods. The reading brings up the names of several companies with very “all-American” images and connotations, such as; Nike, Adidas, Disney, Levi Strauss, Vans, Sara Lee, Champion, Wal-Mart, Reebok, the Gap, IBM, and General Motors. In the minds of consumers, these brand names are as purely American as apple pie or baseball. However, as detailed by the Naomi Klein, in the modern day, these brands are hardly American at all. In fact, the idea in our minds that these companies are so wholesome and American are all a part of what these companies set aside a vast majority of their budgeting on: marketing.
Naomi Klein sheds light on the growing shift in company focus from production and manufacturing of goods, to the marketing and branding of the company name. Instead of the traditional practice of owning (usually US-based) factories, major corporations across America are outsourcing their labor needs to contractors based in other countries, with the goal of manufacturing their goods for a much cheaper cost. Because of the money and focused saved by outsourcing labor, and putting the responsibility for the creation of sneakers, clothing, and other items, companies like Nike can then shift their entire focus on developing their brand name in the minds of consumers through extremely costly advertising.
The lack of corporate responsibility for the labor and creation of their products is pretty disturbing. Klein Makes an example of this lack of corporate responsibility through the Disney Corporation, who outsources the production of their clothing to an outside contractor running factories based in Haiti. When Disney was held responsible for the poor treatment of workers in the Haitian factory, Ken Green, a spokesman for the company, was quoted as saying to a newspaper; “We don’t employ anyone in Haiti. With the newsprint you use, do you have any idea of the labour conditions involved to produce it?”
When we, as consumers, buy a product from one of these mega-brands, we are not really buying just a product based on it’s quality, integrity, or the purpose served. Instead, due to the major shift from production to advertising, we are often buying a product because we were buying into a brand and an image. I know from personal experience that often times I buy products based not on the quality or reputation of the item, but more on the quality and reputation of the brand name. Because of this, when I buy something because of the brand name, I could potentially be buying into an item that isn’t actually what I need. The mentality that “products are made in the factory, but brands are made in the mind,” (Walter Landor) is one that is both true for me, and also somewhat frightening when I really think about it.
