Brand and Myth

By: Stefan Waller

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Synopsis: Brand and Myth A Cultural-Philosophical Consideration Brands reflect the desires of the modern individual. In Nike, it’s the hope of achieving success by simply doing it; in a Mercedes, it’s the pursuit of status; and in a MasterCard, it encapsulates the longing for those moments that cannot be bought with money (but for which you still need money). The list can go on for a long time. Despite the fact that these brand messages are understood across various cultures, they have played a secondary role in cultural-philosophical debates. To professional thinkers, brands appear, at best, as banal and, at worst, as instruments in a malign illusionary context. They are seen as expressions of capitalism, something to be viewed critically, and thus rejected. From a more neutral standpoint, the engagement with brands is understood as a subject of business administration, marketing, and design, and therefore considered outside of one’s own area of expertise.