Marketing bloggers, like Jackie Huba, are loving Rob Walker’s new book, Buying In.
But Huba wanted more than a read through, she wanted to question the Savannah-based author and New York Times Magazine columnist directly. Here’s one of her questions and Walker’s response:
Q: Is “I buy, therefore I am” just as common today as it was 100 years ago?
A: I think it’s more true. A century ago, you wouldn’t sell deodorant as pop culture. But that’s how Axe, to cite one example from the book, is sold today. The ante is upped on what a brand can “mean,” and consumers keep buying it. Another example from the book is Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, which took on a meaning as a protest brand — a brand protesting branding. That’s a meaning consumers created.
Speaking of PBR, have you seen Archrival’s new site, Ink the Can?
