I went out to grab some cold coffee with my Mum last evening. We went to this café in the vicinity; extremely hip (with bands playing occasionally) and seemingly popular. The café, as is usual, was pervaded by college-going students and/or young employees, etc.
So as my Mum and I seated ourselves to a table, I happened to overhear a couple (who I’m presuming were a couple. Either that or they were wooing one another. Thus, soon-to-be-couple) seated at the adjacent table. There was some discussion on brands and attaining “original” branded goods at cheaper rates. This piqued my interest. Now, now. Don’t judge me. It wasn’t like I was eavesdropping. They really were loud; it would have been hard to ignore their buzzing anyway. So the conversation, more or less, on these lines :
Man: You get branded stuffs, originals, at very low rates. This is what one’s agenda should be. To acquire such stuffs.
Woman: Umm, I don’t know. I’m anyway not brand conscious. I am not picky about anything, really.
Man: Yeah, but if you get branded goods and they are cheap too, why not take them?
Woman: I don’t know.
Man: Say for example, how much do a pair of Rayban glasses cost?
Woman: I don’t know. I have no idea about rates.
The rest is a blur to me. Now, you may think that I possess an excellent mind for I recall their exact words. I actually do not. Words are mine, the implied meaning intact. Besides they were conversing in Hindi, anyway.
Why am I writing about this seemingly futile occurrence?
I am, because I thought and mused upon it.
My observations:
a. The woman seemed highly oblivious.
b. The man seemed highly pretentious.
c. I seem highly jobless.
d. There is an obvious stereotype about being brand-conscious!
What is meant by being brand conscious?
According to The Cambridge dictionary – being brand conscious means being aware of popular brands and wanting to buy particular brands rather than others.
That is it. So essentially, you could talk about apparels, shoes, biscuits, jellies, chocolates, common salt, fragrances or notebooks. Any product these days boasts of a variety of options in a number of aspects, one of which is its brand. How is being brand conscious a bad thing? It’s not just the woman at the café. Oftentimes, I come across people claiming how brand ‘unconscious’ they are, as if it were a matter of pride. No, seriously. Am I missing something? Last I checked, having a preference in terms of the brands that we use: that we wear, that we eat, that we drink, was a good thing. Why is it that this adjective has undergone an evident transition, the meaning changing, from being cognizant to being utterly condescending?
Honestly, most people get affronted if you tell them that you are brand conscious. When I state that, neither am I insinuating anything about your or my financial situations, nor am I condescending and implying anything. Those who actually intend on doing that should stop. It’s not nice to be a snob. Did you miss your grade 2 moral values lesson?
Another thing that got me thinking was that most people today, especially the youth, fall prey to counterfeit products. Products which claim to be original but quite obviously are not. Most people purchase such products because of the peer pressure, to make a statement, to appear cool. As the man at the café mentioned, these are cheap too, affordable. People naturally would prefer buying fake products to the originals because of the cost. Some also believe that while the product is screaming out the (fake) brand name, the differences between the original and the fake are hardly discernible to the common folklore.
My problem?
a. Aren’t counterfeit products actually illegal?
b. Seriously hon, anyone could tell that this ‘Guci’ bag is not real, especially when it is spelled that way.
So what do I have to say about all of this?
Honestly, I acknowledge how all the high-end luxury brands are extremely alluring and at the very same time, extremely exorbitant. Not everyone can afford them. Hence, be realistic. Choose a brand to satiate your urges that appropriately fits in your financial bracket. However, always indulge in genuine products. They may cost you more than an ersatz would, but they’d definitely be worth the cash. Not only are genuine products endurable and high-quality, they provide complete consumer satisfaction. Some brands out there are so subtle with their products, they barely give an external indication of the brand. Now in all honestly, wouldn’t you want to choose a branded product to feel good about it, yourself?! I think that definitely trumps showing it off, doesn’t it?
One should refrain from counterfeit products. Purchasing a counterfeit product is like glitter, and mind you, all that glitters is definitely not gold. It could be aluminium foil too. Okay, bad metaphor. Agreed.
So there you go. My rather wordy take on this small, seemingly futile occurence. Be brand conscious. Or don’t be brand conscious (and really mean it, sans any feeling of contempt). Just be yourself. 😀
Optimistic Verbiage. 