the brands of our lives emerson 2016
the assignment
Create a map moving across your life at 5 year increments. Begin with brith and end with your current age. For each of the five years stages generate a list of the brands you associate with that time of your life.
After each brand write a single sentence about what that brand meant to you at that time.
Extend your map out by 10 year increments and list the brands you think would be a part of your life again.
Which brands remain constant over a certain period of time?
students
24 females and 8 males ranging in age from 18-25 years old from around the world
USA, Venezuela, China, Panama, Vietnam, India, & Czech Republic
the early years
0 - 5 years
Disney - "that place was magic", "the age of my Little Mermaid and Mary Poppins stage..Barney - " favorite tv show"...Avent - "the meaning of food"...Little Tikes - "many of my favorite toys from little tikes,
5-10 years
American Girl - " spent every penny I saved on their clothes and accessories"...Limited Too- "if you didn't wear a sweatshirt with the sparkly Limited Too monkey you weren't cool"...Disney - "first trip and the beginning of my obsession with Lizzie McGuire"...Nintendo - " meant special time with my dad"... Baby G - "it was my light in the darkness"...Barbie - "meant play with sister and creating something out of nothing"...-Bratz "could change the shoes and with barbie you couldn't".
late childhood
10-15 years
Sims - "happiness after finishing my homework"...Abercrombie - "the store that everything for my style"...Disney - "High School music anyone"...Apple - "bought my first iPod nano"...Motorola Razr - " a new way to communicate with my friends".
15 - 20 years
Apple -"quickly took over my life. Between my iPod touch, my iPhone, and my MacBook, Apple owns me"...Starbucks - "I run on caffeine"... Forever 21 - "clothes I could buy for every occasion", " inexpensive and trendy clothes. When paying for it myself, this is absolutely one of my favorite brands"...Ray-Band - "it was my first brand of sunglasses".
early adulthood
20s
Starbucks - " i don't think i'll kick my coffee habit by then"...Express - "more professional clothing for my adult and career life"...Apple - "because of the compatibility between iPhones and Mac's I'll be stuck with Apple for a long time"...Sephora - "a place more than a brand where I can always find something that i don't need but i want".
30s
Little Tikes - " I'm hoping to have children so I will probably be buying my children Little Tikes simply because I know I used it as a child"...Amazon - " because its a lot easier to order thing online than go to the store when you have small children at home"...Disney - " When I have his I know that this will be part of their childhood the way it was a part of mine."
mature adulthood
40s
Starbucks - " Brand loyalty is strong with this one"...JCPenneys - " don't all suburbia middle-aged moms love JCPenneys..." - Estee Lauder "trust friends opinions more than advertising"... BMW- "in my dream world by this time I will finally have enough money to get a BMW"...Apple - "owes me"
50s
Expedia - "because of familiarity, trends, peer recommendations"
SO What
Consistent Brands
these brands continued to appear throughout the majority of the stages of our lives
Oldies but Goodies
trusted brands from our childhood that we assume we will use for the next generation
Created with images by kevinpoh - "It's a Small World @ Tokyo Disneyland" • Alexas_Fotos - "giant rubber bear gummibär gummibärchen" • nafets - "cocoa beans cocoa cacao" • matejtomazin0 - "drink champagne alcohol" • Simon_sees - "havannah resort vanuatu"