Brand energy : a study on the significnace of brands among univeristy students

Abstract

“In one sense, perhaps the most important sense, a brand is a promise………In another sense, a brand is a specific combination of logo, words, type font, design, colours, personality, price, service, etc” (Geller, 2012, para 1-3). This study seeks to explore how brands influence identity, shape cosmopolitanism and serve as a source of cultural capital. The data for this study was collected through in depth interviews with a number of university students. Through the analysis it became evident that the relationship between brands and identity is one through which brands shape a perceived identity of the individual. The idea of a perceived identity is linked to cultural capital. The findings collected made it evident that brands are a source of cultural capital as they include people and make them feel as though they are part of a wider culture. When speaking of a wider culture the term cosmopolitanism springs to mind. Through this study it became clear that it is difficult to pinpoint how brands shape cosmopolitanism however it is also clear that the two are very much connected and have an effect on one another.