You pay 5p per supermarket bag to freely advertise for the store.
I have never had an obsession with branded fashion items. By that I mean wanting to be overt about it.
A decade or so back the VW badges were constantly being stolen from cars.
I do have a loyalty to Volkswagen, having driven their cars for so many years. Despite their emissions tampering, I still forgive them. But then that's cars – they are always badged and do need identifying, so I can't get around the one. But I always remove any window stickers that may have been added.
Above some major free advertising.
Trainers are a whole story in themselves.
But when it comes to fashion, that is where it stops for me. I have never understood the mentality of people wanting to be festooned with logos all over their clothing. These days, the obsession starts young
with peer pressure at school. It's the must-have latest baseball cap, t-shirt, trainers, etc., all heavily branded. And if not fake, they are all outrageously expensive – often paid for by parents who can't really afford the price tags.
The Fred Perry tennis shirt, an early example of fashion branding from 1952.
The other was of course Levis jeans.
When I was a teenager back in the 1950s, the only outwardly branded fashion item I can recall is the Fred Perry shirt, and that was pretty discreet. But subtlety has gone out the window these days – people have become moving advertisements.
It has been reported that David Beckham can receive up to £13million in one year for brand advertising.
Any other form of advertising for a brand has to be paid for, be it print, online or a TV commercial. I think it is about time that people wised up to this exploitation of their body space. We, of course, see sports personalities and film stars advertising brands, but they not only get paid enormous sums of money but are also given free products to go with it.
It would be interesting to know if there has been any research carried out to gauge the influence and sales increases based on people wearing overt brands.
In my opinion, major brands should do one of two things regarding their branded products:
1. Overtly branded items should be discounted by 20%.
2. Non-branded (or minimal) versions should be sold at full price.
In that way, people would have a choice and would be indirectly paid to advertise products.
You are not only advertising your chosen team but their sponsors. How crazy it that?
The worse examples of free advertising are football strips. It's not just the team advertised but their sponsors too – that is real cheek!
Apparently, the Daunt Books bag is very popular with fashion models.
And, sneakily, high-street shops and supermarkets always have their names emblazoned on their bags and charge you for the pleasure.
I have been known to wear a t-shirt for a cause or a piece of non-commercial design that I like, but that is where it stops for me.