Gepflegd krass: visualisation of youth marketing

The project Gepflegd krass (German youth slang for cool) tries to uncover how people are influenced by brands and vice versa. The used object of study: young people in Zurich, the Swiss financial centre filled with affluent consumers. How can marketeers shape brands if they lose control of the brand in the public space? What if the crowd attaches other values to your products than imagined at first (the famous case of Lonsdale clothing)? It is an illusion that companies have the last say in the branding process. Consumers pay good money for products and services and in the process of consuming they brand your brand. Advertisements and campaigns can suggest and guide, but actual use determines the value of the brand.

Traditionally, the focus of marketeers has been with differentiation, but that's not a fruitful approach in a world where consumers decides what makes a product different. The attention shifts towards integration, or fitting products into consumers lives according to their individual needs and preferences. No more small thinking in terms of products or portfolios, it's time to enter the minds and hearts of consumers and start from there.

Publisher: Gestalten