EOC: Chapter 8 Discussion

http://www.converse.com/

1. "The user is the drive and inspiration behind the brand, and it is the user who eventually decides on the brand's positioning through the image he or she creates for it" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). New technology places the user at the center of the creative process because they have such an influence due to hyper connectivity. New technology allows the consumer to be so connected to the branding and product development process that they themselves can provide input. Social media allows consumer to tell companies what they want from a product so the designers in return can develop exactly what the consumer want.

2. Experiential branding is "the discipline of understanding and defining brands in terms of the way they are experienced, in order to differentiate them in the most powerful dimension: relevance" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). Branding I now more than just simply the product and services it provides. Branding is about the attributes and qualities that a consumer relates too. Versace is a brand but the consumer also relates the quality and high end to themselves.

3. "a mass-customized brand (MC brand) is a brand where every consumer decides on the distinctive feature of his or her customized item" (Fashion Branding Unraveled). Basically, a microbrand  is a sub category of a product that already exists. An example of a microbrand is the Converse Chuck Taylor that can be customized to provide a more unique look. The Chuck Taylor is a brand that has been created into a microbrand by the consumer. Brand extensions are just new product lines within a company to ad variety, prince range, and different qualities to a product. In the end, the micro-brand is the smallest subcategory that I consumer can break a product into because it is totally custom made by the consumer.