Comments on: The importance of brands to a free society http://blog.joelrubinson.net/2010/03/the-importance-of-brands-to-a-free-society/ Marketing and Research Consulting for a Brave New World Sat, 04 Sep 2010 04:25:52 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: ken will http://blog.joelrubinson.net/2010/03/the-importance-of-brands-to-a-free-society/comment-page-1/#comment-1883 ken will Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:01:59 +0000 http://blog.joelrubinson.net/?p=230#comment-1883 Joel, Just an IMHO observation, but I suspect that the freedom to market is a function of the underlying freedom to create. There might be a decent second-order SEM in there somewhere. Best regards, Ken Joel,

Just an IMHO observation, but I suspect that the freedom to market is a function of the underlying freedom to create. There might be a decent second-order SEM in there somewhere.

Best regards,

Ken

]]> By: Rob http://blog.joelrubinson.net/2010/03/the-importance-of-brands-to-a-free-society/comment-page-1/#comment-1763 Rob Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:25:01 +0000 http://blog.joelrubinson.net/?p=230#comment-1763 Hmmmmm. This raises lots of questions I think. Does the kind of choice you describe actually make people free? Does it make them happy? Have you looked at the idea of the paradox of choice? Are people in western free market countries as happy as they should be given the quality of life they enjoy? Was choice the only factor at play in the examples you give from communist states? Is marketing in its modern form really even about choice? Isn't it to a large extent about encouraging perpetual discontentment? Isn't it to a large extent about influencing people's choice to your own ends? Nick Southgate of Grey did a conference paper in 2007 about marketing 'in an age of superfluity' - the challenge of working out why people choose brand a over brands b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l and m, when there's little or no qualitative difference. Only one type of vinegar does sound a bit drab, but the relationship between choice and freedom is more complicated than that. Hmmmmm. This raises lots of questions I think. Does the kind of choice you describe actually make people free? Does it make them happy? Have you looked at the idea of the paradox of choice? Are people in western free market countries as happy as they should be given the quality of life they enjoy? Was choice the only factor at play in the examples you give from communist states? Is marketing in its modern form really even about choice? Isn’t it to a large extent about encouraging perpetual discontentment? Isn’t it to a large extent about influencing people’s choice to your own ends? Nick Southgate of Grey did a conference paper in 2007 about marketing ‘in an age of superfluity’ – the challenge of working out why people choose brand a over brands b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l and m, when there’s little or no qualitative difference. Only one type of vinegar does sound a bit drab, but the relationship between choice and freedom is more complicated than that.

]]> By: jay http://blog.joelrubinson.net/2010/03/the-importance-of-brands-to-a-free-society/comment-page-1/#comment-1724 jay Sun, 14 Mar 2010 06:07:41 +0000 http://blog.joelrubinson.net/?p=230#comment-1724 Choices make us free. Brands exist to manipulate us. There is no freedom in the manipulation of what we want. Its sad to mix freedom with the pert suit of money. A free society is not told anything a lack of choice is not a lack of pursuit of treasure. It is sad to take freedom and make it an excuse for branding Choices make us free. Brands exist to manipulate us. There is no freedom in the manipulation of what we want. Its sad to mix freedom with the pert suit of money. A free society is not told anything a lack of choice is not a lack of pursuit of treasure. It is sad to take freedom and make it an excuse for branding

]]> By: Stew http://blog.joelrubinson.net/2010/03/the-importance-of-brands-to-a-free-society/comment-page-1/#comment-1720 Stew Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:21:00 +0000 http://blog.joelrubinson.net/?p=230#comment-1720 Was wondering what you thought of the value of increasing taxes on cigarettes to decrease health risk or imposing a "sugar tax" on soda due to the epidemic of childhood obesity and diabetes? Doesn't government have a role in improving health? (Eg..I have high blood pressure and had a stroke-I want to know the sodium levels of a product) Was wondering what you thought of the value of increasing taxes on cigarettes to decrease health risk or imposing a “sugar tax” on soda due to the epidemic of childhood obesity and diabetes? Doesn’t government have a role in improving health? (Eg..I have high blood pressure and had a stroke-I want to know the sodium levels of a product)

]]> By: Grant McCracken http://blog.joelrubinson.net/2010/03/the-importance-of-brands-to-a-free-society/comment-page-1/#comment-1719 Grant McCracken Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:46:40 +0000 http://blog.joelrubinson.net/?p=230#comment-1719 Joel, nice work! Reminds me of standing in Moscow with my translator staring at the night sky. "It used to be so dark," he said with feeling. "Thank God for neon." Joel, nice work! Reminds me of standing in Moscow with my translator staring at the night sky. “It used to be so dark,” he said with feeling. “Thank God for neon.”

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