On a recent business trip to NYC, my wife and I spent a couple of extra days on personal business – she to go shopping; me to hang out, observe things, eat and perform companion/bag schlepper/navigator duties. Needless to say, I take my job responsibilities seriously.
Shopping in New York is watching branding and marketing on steroids. In fact, the city is such an incredible brand itself, it’s no wonder that other brands from all over the world flock there to display the latest and greatest offerings of their products and services. And it’s not just the retail establishments. Most of the successful hotels and restaurants go to great lengths to cultivate and maintain what appear to be clearly defined image objectives – from ultra-contemporary chic to rustic country Euro.
Product presentation and attention to detail is almost always exemplary, whether for appetizers in a casual, trendy neighborhood restaurant or a window display in an upscale retail store. These folks know how to market stuff, as even the places with purposely minimalistic furnishings find unique and effective ways to hang or display products that make your eyes fixate on exactly what they want you see — kind of like subliminal spotlights.
In one store that carried only women’s shoes (one of which, at that point, seemed like hundreds), I noticed a particular shoe that sat commandingly on a shelf. It was about ankle high, and looked like some sort of hybrid high-heel dress shoe and low gladiator’s boot. Very unique. Since I wasn’t needed to schlep or navigate at that very moment, I went over and picked it up.
Interesting design. Obviously high-quality materials. Solid buckles, tight stitching. Hmmm…wonder how much? Is it considered gauche to immediately look at price stickers in this part of the world? In my most “swave and deboner” fashion, I discretely looked at the shoe’s bottom. The sticker read: $1,100. Trying to act unfazed by this discovery, I returned the shoe to its place and pretended to look at other products on nearby shelves.
I casually walked out the front door, and immediately processed a single thought: ELEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS??!! E-L-E-V-E-N-H-U-N-D-R-E-D???!!! Are you freakin’ kidding me??!! Wow. What branding!! What marketing!! This was a whole new world to me. At this point my wife exited the store, having watched my amateurish acting performance in the showroom. She informed me that there were, indeed, those who’d spend $1,100 for a pair of shoes, especially that particular brand, and that a high percentage would not necessarily be considered wealthy by most people’s standards. Huh?
Back in the office a couple of days later, the story was repeated at the conclusion of a staff meeting. Surprisingly, people started sharing similar stories of friends and family members who were somewhat frugal when it came to some things, but would act the exact opposite when it came to others. Cars, clothes, jewelry, electronics, collectables and trips were purchase categories mentioned most often. And within these categories, brand specificity was prevalent. The unscientific consensus was that most people have at least one type of product or service that they occasionally purchase which might be considered by others as somewhat lavish, expensive or frivolous.
Knowing each other as well as we do, we began to share stories of our own indulgences, as well as the occasions when excellent branding helped seal a deal. Obviously “branding on steroids” is something most of us are susceptible to, if we’ll admit it or not.
Are there things that you buy that you might consider somewhat self-indulgent? Do you have a strong affinity for certain brands? If you’re in denial, you may want to stay away from New York (and, yeah…several other places around the world too). The temptations are far stronger than you think.
