Laura's Box of Chocolates

A rose by any other name...
There's a place called Generica...and it's the perfect place.
A consumer Eutopia.

It's a place where all experiences are controlled and perfected. Brought to you by Brand Certainty. Aren't brands great! No surprises! Visit any TGIFriday--The same experience...the same menu no matter where you are. And the brand is not just on the inside..it's on the buildings too. You can recognize stores from half a mile away driving 65 MPH on the freeway and just make the exit to go drop in to Circuit City, or Best Buy, or Home Depot. (sigh, relief!)

Starbucks' Coffee--same sign and facade on the outside no matter where you are--in Seattle, in Kansas City, in Tulsa, in Manchester--it's got the same soft jazz playing, the same chi-chi velour couches...the same cookies, the same grande non fat latte.

But, wait... When did we become willing to exchange a unique experience for comfort and certainty? What happened to that? Are we hooked on brands and at the mercy of a conglomerate feeling? We all feel the same, shop the same, eat the same...are we becoming what a brand dictates we should become? 


hmmm.