Introduction

And Now... Introducing... My Blog!

            I will be using this blog to examine the concept of consumption and its role within my day-to-day life. More specifically, I will be focusing on how the products I consume on a regular basis are branded and how these brands affect my consumption. I am looking to discover what affect or power, if any, brands have over my everyday life.

So…what do I mean by the terms “consumption” and brand”? First of all, consumption is “the selection, purchase, use, reuse and disposal of goods and services” (Campbell, 1995, 104). Therefore, when I speak of consumption within this blog I may be referring to any of these activities. On the other hand, a brand is “a name, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers” (American Marketing Association). Brands are, therefore, closely linked to consumption because they are an important part of the products being consumed.

Some theorists argue that the practices of consumption are negative because the producers are able to exert power over consumers, prevent choice and limit their creativity (Nava, 46-47). On the other hand, there are theorists who argue that consumption allows the consumer to exert their own power and to create identities (Nava, 50-56). This blog, therefore, seeks to discover which of these notions about power in consumption and branding is correct, or if both are valid.
In order to understand the relationship between power and branding within everyday life I will be blogging for the next two weeks about my personal experiences with consumption. On each day of the first week I will discuss two or three products that I consumed that day and how the product was branded. During the second week I will attempt to actively resist branding by purchasing only those products that are not branded or are branded as “no name.” I will then discuss my experiences during this activism, including any challenges I faced. 

Works Cited

Nava, M. (1999). Consumerism Reconsidered: Buying and Power. (pp. 45-64). Feminism and Cultural   Studies. M. Shiach (ed.) Oxford: Oxford.

American Marketing Association (2013). Brand. Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.marketingpower.com/_layouts/Dictionary.aspx?dLetter=B.

Campbell (1995) ? (104) ?