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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

BBBB- Bit by Brand Bug!


No no no sorry I don’t take the blame, I should be completely blaming it on “Sex and The City” series which I watched, watching and will always watch. For those who know about this series I need not tell them but for those who haven’t dared to see any of the episode then let me just tell you what the series is famous for. Apart from the first part of the title which is most interesting there is an awesome role in marketing played by this series trust me an episode of “Sex and the City” can upturn the whole fashion industry and promote ground breaking sales for a brand in a jiffy!  You don’t get it? OK here is an example just to illustrate the impact of these series on the Fashion industry!

Take any random brand “Jai Manik lal”, Consider an episode where the columnist and the leading lady beautiful Carrie Bradshaw monologues saying “I will never be the woman with the perfect hair, who can wear beautiful Jai Manik lal skirt and not spill on it.” That’s it you are bound to see all the duty free shops in every other airport showing Carrie Bradshaw in white top and “Jai Manik lal” scribbled in it. There would be very fashionable stores of “Jai Manik lal” in Fashion capitals like, London, Milan, New York, Paris, Japan and Singapore where who’s who of Fashion and movie Industry will frequent. Definitely the next red carpet event will have a TV host announcing that it was a visual treat to see Anne Hathaway walking in “Jai Manik lal” gown and the world will be crazily clicking picture and uploading about it. For sure your Facebook will be full of people posting  “I just can’t believe my fiancee\ Boy friend\Husband\whosoever gifted me “Jai Manik lal” handbag!” of course an episode of Oprah winfrey hosting a talk show showing of her beautiful  stilettos of brand “Jai Manik lal”. BTW the owner of our “Jai Manik lal” Sri Sri Manik lal ji, would have already proceeded with legal procedures to change the brand name to “JML” to make it more cool and fancy!!! And because of which the loyal customer like Mahadeven, Bittu, Monty, Gullu of “Jai Manik lal’s Chaddis and Baniyans” will now on will never be able to think of those as each one of them would cost 100s hello its 100s of dollors or pounds, mind you!!!

Oh forgot to tell you, all this happens even before the next episode of "Sex and The city" is aired on the television such is the power of S&C series!!! If you don’t trust me ask all The Fashion gurus and Fashionistas  J surely it’s a crime for them to admit this open secret and so they mask it with words like QUALITY, CULT, TRADITION, FASHION STATEMENT etc….

Now let me come to my story, a poor simple living female after watching back to back series of “Sex and The city” was bit by this “Brands” bug and so I started learning about almost all the brands that were mentioned repeatedly in those series. The list kept growing, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Antonio Bandera’s, Chanel, Paris, Dolce & Gabbana, DKNY, Versace, Armani… oh this list and my desire to own one of those was increasing exponentially. On one fine day when I and my hubs were walking in one of the kingpin’s mall in Bangalore crazily decided to go to the “LOUIS VUITTON” store in it. Yeah yeah I can see your reaction now!!! We clearly knew it would be dead expensive to buy anything there but my darling hubs to work his charm on me, he asked me to pick any Sunglasses as we thought that alone would be the only affordable of the lot so I hesitatingly zeroed in on one, with all his grace the salesman told that it costs 40850/- INR only!!!! I and my hubs suck in oxygen in that place and dint dare to breathe out until we ran out of the store hysterically in fear of being priced for breathing inside LV store!!!!!!
UFFFFFFFFFFFF Now I am totally immune to this bite of “Brand Bug” Thanks to the reality!!!!

PS: We are still gasping!!!

17 comments:

Neo Imaginations said...

I was too much of a brand loyal person but post marriage i chose to be more logical and mature with my buying choice. There are brands in the market that are really worth the price and also that just mint moneu out of you.

Rahul Bhatia said...

Unfortunatly JML and Louis Vuitton are not in same league and till that happens we have to shell a fortune for the brands:) BTW you still got Louis Vuitton, shades:)

A Homemaker's Utopia said...

First time here..:-)Interesting read.Keep posting..:-)

Prashanth said...

Generally the stores or products which we see in Malls, we don't find them anywhere else, at least that's what I observed. May be because of the kind of people they except to come in Malls.

Ond ond shops nodidre, full shock aguthe. Very costly and I some times wonder, does someone really buy these things. When reality bites, it bites hard....:)

Ranjana Bhat said...

Amazing!!! I am bit tooo.... and I will be owning these soon........ ;) Awesomely written asusal :)

Unknown said...

I am inspired to start reading Blogs..... :) HATS OFF (",)

Ramya said...

@Neo: hahaha yes surprisingly everybody will be very cautious after marriage heehhe :D sorry just kidding yeah seems like there is no meaning in shelling out so much on something which really matters!!!

@Rahul sir: Nooooo I dont have one;) I will if you gift me one :D and thanks in Advance :D

@Homemaker: Hey welcome to chittrana :) thanks for your compliments :D

Ramya said...

@Prashanth: Really true kano, its that they expect a certain customer only :D and surely someone like us :D
Yeah namgu mega shock aythu :D Not because of the price but because there were people who were buying it :D :) but for us reality had bit very hardly :D

@Ranjana: Thanks for the compliments:D yes sweety those should be got as gift and never purchased :D

Ramya said...

@Sirish: Hey Welcome to Chittrana, very happy to see you here... thanks a lot for your encouraging words :D Yes plsssss start reading blogs and eventually you may start one for yourselves too :D
There are so many wonderful Bloggers you will enjoy this world :D
Welcome to Blogger world :D

Found In Folsom said...

Hahhahaa....I am also hit by the brand bug..I don't watch 'Sex and the City' though. Now, I have this fancy of buying a Jimmy choo shoe at least once in my life time...:)

Ramya said...

@FIF: Jimmy Choo oh my gwadddd :D all the best :) and surely you are bit by this bug too :D

BGT said...

I can understand what your hubby went through. :D Thankfully, logic prevailed and you guys made the right decision.

It has happened to me as well. Once I behaved as a generous husband and asked my wife to select a handbag she likes. She selected one. Both of us saw the price tag. Then we politely kept the handbag in its rightful place, paid our respects and quietly left the place! :D

We still remember that day..

Ramya said...

@Binu: hahaha so you have also got bitten by it then :D. and very happy ;) to see the similar experience of yours :D

Nuthan said...

East or west.. avenue road shops are the best.. : )
Majestic jeans, alankar plaza t-shirt is also way too famous ri..
I was the brand ambassador for them when I was fit and in-shape : )
And then after marriage my logic was white-washed.. and now scullers is the destination ; )

nice post Ramya.. and as Rahul sir said.. unfortunately JML and Louis Vuitton are not doing a brand match : )

and co-incidentally.. me and my wife also ended in a sunglasses shop in a big brand(can't even remember the name)... and the price tag showed a few hundreds of pounds... but that didn't deter my wife's interest.. and finally I had to forcibly get her out of the shop ...for which I am cursed till date : )

adhi das said...

the Brands will chase us but we got to make the best choice..Ramya what wonderful ideas creep into ur mind & how easily u present it to us by ur simple yet superb writing..GOD<3U

Ramya said...

@Nuthan: hahaha What a statement loved yeah :D Brand Ambassador for our very one Avenue Road :D superb :)

Yeah with time we change but still I guess price like that god save me :) cant even thimk no matter how much you earn today you still tend to compare it with those Avenue road t-shirts, jeans before buying isnt it :D this happens to me all the time :D

And ROFL ur incident is even more funny :D you should really post about it :D Thanks for dropping by

Ramya said...

@Adhi Das: Thanks a lot for ur nice compliment and that thought is very true yeah we need to make the right choice :D

Lets stick to JML ;) and not LV