Day Four

This afternoon, I drove to Dallas to spend the weekend with my parents. I never really thought about how brands affect my choices on a road trip until I started looking for a place to make a pit stop. Apparently, I don't pee at off-brand roadside gas stations. I refused to pull over until I saw a sign for an Exxon station. That's not to say that I'd stop at just any Exxon. I'll drive right past if it doesn't look clean and well lit. I guess that means that the brand name only goes so far, then it comes down to curb appeal and customer service.

My parents recently purchased a new (HUGE) tv. It's Samsung, which also happens to be my favorite brand of cell phone. They also got a Samsung blu-ray player and surround sound system. They did all this shopping at Best Buy and gave me the credits on my Reward Zone card. That's pretty exciting. I may be Best Buy branded, because that Reward Zone card makes me a very loyal Best Buy shopper. I earn gift certificates when I buy stuff I wanted anyway. I think it's a win-win.

I watched 30 Rock tonight. One of my favorite running jokes on that show is brand-related. The main character Liz Lemon is a single, lovably flawed woman who constantly eats chips called "Sabor de Soledad" which is Spanish for "the taste of loneliness." It makes me laugh.

Now I'm watching The Dark Knight in beautiful (and intense) blu-ray. It's interesting that they even use branding within the movie to make the Gotham world feel more real. In this movie specifically, the news channel GCN is fairly prominent. Also, Harvey Dent did such good branding during his campaign (not in the movie) that we still hear his slogan and see his stickers. "I Believe in Harvey Dent." Wayne enterprises is also a ubiquitous brand in the Gotham world.

Something interesting about The Dark Knight and Batman Begins and whatever this new Batman movie Chris Nolan is directing is the issue of authenticity. Even though these films diverge from the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher predecessors, they are considered to be the most authentic films of the brand. They seem to correct the stylistic inconsistencies of the Schumacher films and bring some integrity back to the Batman name. (i.e., no Arnold delivering lines like, "Watch the numbers Batman, for they are the harbingers of your doom." or his incessant refrain of "Chill, chill." or my personal favorite "My name is Freeze. Learn it well, for it is the chilling sound of your doom." Apparently everything in that movie was a sign of Batman's doom.) The quality of the Nolan movies was appreciated by everyday fans and snobby critics. The Dark Knight was set in a thinly veiled mock-up of Chicago as opposed to the others that took place in neon painted versions of New York. I think this relationship to place...or at least tone...is part of what made these films superior. Had The Dark Knight been set in fake NYC or fake Atlanta, it wouldn't have worked as well. The viral and intensely branded marketing that preceded The Dark Knight didn't exactly downplay the commercial nature of the film (which was always expected to make more money than is really reasonable for any one movie) but they made it clear to deeply devoted fans that there was more going on than earning a billion-jillion dollars.

Clearly, this class has already begun warping me. Luckily, a 46-inch Samsung turns my brain to mush in HD. Maybe I'll balance out before the weekend is over. :)