So, here we are. We’ve come full circle. End of story. (Volume 2 coming out in stores near you).
I had my very last Comm101 class today. It was an unspoken momentous occasion. I’ve had a lot of fun in this class, and I’ve *learned* lots.
*learned*.
More than anything, I’ve had a change of opinion, a broader perspective on Commerce itself. I’ve met a lot of cool people and heard many different opinions. In terms of “learning” I only explicitly learned the most basic, fundamental points for the various areas of Commerce. I have much to learn.
The experience outweighed the learning. But what did I learn?
If there is one thing that I learned this term, it’s Branding. Branding is all-important. Firms spend millions on establishing their Brand. Branding is pretty much what Marketing is made out of, and I love Marketing. After Comm101 I’ve learned to love Marketing even more, and hate Finance a bit less (I have this funny vision of Finance and Marketing being husband and wife; they quarrel every day and they never agree, yet they rely on each other to survive. Funny stuff.).
But, yes. Brands. Brands differentiate firms from each other, and allow each firm to shine. Brands attract consumers. Brands are where it’s at.
Now here’s a thought. Perhaps Brands aren’t limited to firms? Maybe there’s a Brand in all of us.
Firms spend ridiculous amounts of money to build their brand. Some people I know spent ridiculous amount of money on clothing to look good. Some brands want to come off as tough and build to last, others want to come off as cheeky, fun brands. Some of my friends are wannabe-gangsters (haha), and a lot of them are just fun and insane.
Firms want to differntiate themselves. Sauder students want to stand out.
You may think me insane, but wouldn’t it make sense if we were *all* representatives of our own brand-ourselves?
You may be screaming by now. “NO, CHRIS, NO! STOP SCREWING AROUND WITH TERMINOLOGY. People do random acts of kindness because they WANT to. Firms do it so that they LOOK good. People aren’t that shallow.”
Think about that for a second and you’ll see a contradiction.
But although all firms care mostly about profits, is it possible that some firms just care about helping society? Does the chocolate shop run by that elderly couple down the street looking for profit, or do the couple just want to sell chocolate? Do soccer players play for the money, or do they play because they want to?
Hopefully I’ll be able to look back on this post in a few years, put my face in my hands and say “oh gawd, chris…”. That’s cool. That’s fine. You have to look back and realize how dumb you sounded in the past, before you realize how much you’ve learned.
And that’s exactly what I’m thinking about right now. Looking back, seeing how much I’ve learned. Was a really ignorant in the past? Slightly. Am I better now? A bit.
I’ve got a lot to learn, and dagnabbit, I’m going to have a lot of fun doing it. So thanks for putting up with this emerging brand. My posts may be around three times as long as they should be, and the things I talk about tend to be more philosophical than they are case-based.
But, hey, every brand is different. I’m different. And I hope you, as a consumer, have enjoyed this.
-Chris, out.
