Branding became a buzz word as I finished my Communications Studies PhD in 2005. As I specialised in criticising PR (focusing on the political spin of the then New Labour government, with PM Tony Blair advised by Alistair Campbell) I was critical of it, considering it marketing brainwashing.
I launched the Greengrey world after leaving university. The colour scheme was inspired by the dominant landscape colours I saw, and my ‘marketing’ of it was partly a parody of branding (finding greenYgrey colours everywhere, like in the Conservative advert image above); doing it for real with an environmental message (need the green to prevent all grey) in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
After seeing more sun, even on mostly grey days, I later rebranded it to greenYgrey; with the parody side of me also wanting to just do a ‘rebranding’; maybe inspired by my workplace’s ‘rebranding’ (see below).
I would probably have endeared myself more to my home city/county by calling it the Whiteyblue (maybe a were(polar)bear!?); fittingly later becoming whiteYblue; as those are its traditional colours. However, the parody element probably wouldn’t be appreciated.
I was about five years ahead of the big corporate I was working for part-time. It got serious about its branding by coordinating all its ‘image’ into one colour; including staff uniforms (like our kit!); unfortunately in the city/county’s main rival colours (red)! I might have become a big fish in their marketing division if I’d volunteered my expertise earlier – but I didn’t really believe in it, and especially not in their industry!!
Taking the Knee Cause/Brand Brainwashing!
That’s one of the reasons I’ve gone off sport in the last couple of years; the dirty/money takeover. All the Premiership footballers ‘taking the knee’ because of one incident in a distant country; after ignoring the child grooming scandal for a decade or two in our own, and the terrible crimes committed in Africa on a daily basis; at the end of the season adding insult to injury… and then there was covid-19 to put everything into perspective.
Like many things, it all seems to be inspired by the USA, with a lot of the footballers watching sport there, and probably dreaming of a Hollywood career or life afterwards?!.. as I was at their age… before Weinstein and Meghan put me off!
Will they be taking a knee for the Belarus demonstrators who’ve apparently been killed, in a country much closer than the USA. I don’t think so, because white on white doesn’t have the Hollywood effect coming from California… or the influence, money and fame!
I don’t really want to become involved in Belarus/Russia/EU politics either, but think it should be more relevant than the USA to us; if it was about geography and ethnicity rather than power and money.
I was relieved to see some motor racing drivers refuse to take the knee – while still wearing t-shirts denouncing racism – to see some sign of individuality. Was it because they are European, higher class, or more educated; or a bit of each, or more than one.
Whatever the reasons, I was impressed; unlike with the footballers’ 100% conformity. Unfortunately, they are traditionally more from the sport, country and class I am; although its become less and less so over the years; but if I didn’t disagree with them I’d look just as brainwashed.
mistYmuse 