Brands That Matter
A series on my experiences with brands that left a lasting impression on me and how my life revolves around brands as a lifestyle or lifestyle as a brand.
Imagine the scent you applied on the day you wanted to meet the love of your life. Butterflies in the stomach. Heart racing all along with 2-4 extra sprays sitting confidently on your shirt.
What happened next ? Good or bad ? Happy or Sad?
No matter what happened, the next time you apply that scent, your mind will play that picture again and what will you relate it with ? The brand.
That is that brands first relationship with you and will always be that.
When we pick a brand, we are picking a story — one that we live, experience and share with the people we love. A world of brands that shape who we are, what we see, what we felt and how our lives surround around these intangible objects.
This is the beginning of a series I’ve been wanting to write for a long time. A series about my experiences with brands that left a lasting impression on me and how my life revolves around brands as a lifestyle or lifestyle as a brand.
Now, Imagine that you interviewed for your dream job , had a near miss experience and you are sitting alone with sweat dripping inside your body with your body odour and perfume blending uncomfortably. You feel numb, humble, a bit lost and suddenly, a fresh wave of air hits your face, you observe a young girl playing around and a gentle smile falls on your face. That sweaty perfume scent ? It’s a story for your grandchildren.
Experience. Feelings. Depth. Detailing. Legacy. Art. Intelligence. Efforts.
These are a few words that come to mind when I think of what makes a moment special. Any observation that leads the mind to become a curious fascinated child is what stays with me.
Be it a product at home or a product when I travel, there is always something you carry with yourself or something that is carried with you while you live this world. True harmony, great experiences and a good life happens when we don’t even realise it but are happy living it. That’s what real life experiences are.
When I study brands, i study the stories of the founders. what led them to even think of creating this ? why try so hard ? what feeling, what experience, what passion were they living that is still evident in the brand they made ?
When I go to Starbucks, it’s not the coffee, its the experience at Starbucks. I become Howard Schulz, I try to live his experience of him going to Italy and falling in love with their espresso coffee on winter mornings. When I drink coca-cola, I try to live the legacy of a 100 year old brand, the first cola that John Pemberton made or the iconic red can and white logo, the colors that inspired Santa Claus. I feel that I am living in the era of so many American presidents who loved a coke and the first brand that truly went global. When I think of tanishq, I remember the glorious glass chess set that they sent to us as a gift on my mom’s birthday and all the times my family came out happy from a tanishq store.
It has been nearly a decade that I have been observing, experiencing, living and creating my own world of brands that matter to me and now, I want to share this beautiful experience with everyone who wants to slow down and experience life the way I do. This content series is going to be about identifying and living brands, about what them special and what touches our hearts about certain things. I will also speak about my own experience building my brand, my story, my motivations and the journey I had till now.
Get comfortable on the sofa, slow down, get a cold refreshing imle khus sharbat in hand and enjoy the show!
Love,
Vaibhav