I think no one would disagree that having a brand is important. It gives us an idea what kind of product/service that we are getting. However, it also rises a controversial issue that, as a customer, what we should really value, just the brand name or what this brand name can give us.

Brand name sometimes is very powerful; it is very good at telling people that you need me and you should have me, which can lead us to forget what we really should concern about. In some cases, we don’t even care the product itself, and the reason that we purchased it is just because this product is from this brand because it represents popular, fashion or high status. I asked some of my friends who like to purchase luxurious brand. Why are you willing to buy a $300 T-shirt dollars which is no difference with $20 ones. They told me that this T-shirt is from X brand.

To illustrate the idea that some people purchase status and not products, in China, some people go to Starbucks and use the brand’s logo to signal to others that they belong to a higher social class, they have a higher status than most. Some people who can really not afford this lifestyle will buy a coffee and re-use the cup by filling it with water or cheaper coffee, not for the sake of being eco-friendly but to pretend that they too possess a higher status by pretending they can afford such way of living.

I just want to say that we are what we are; it will not change because you are wearing Prada or drinking Starbucks. Don’t fall into marketing traps.