Lecture 4- Iconic Branding Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is Cultural Icon?
Cultural icons can be people, institutions, Objects/Symbols, Places.
-It’s a symbol that stands for a set of shared values, ideals, or identity within a culture.
Ex: Batman, Nike, Coca-cola
these brand sold myths and life style meanings that connected to people’s identities.
where do cultural Icons originate?
Through circulation, storytelling and evolution of media.
What separates cultural icons from cultural content?
-Icons come to represent a particular kind of story: identity myth
Consumers use these myths to address their identity desires and anxieties.
-Icons carry heavy symbolic load for the most enthusiastic consumers.
Icons perform a myth that society needs at a given historic moment very charismatically
What is a Brand?
A brand is not just a logo or a product. It’s the set of meanings, emotions, and associations that people connect to a product, company, or even a person
Common misconsecption about brands?
The Fallacy: “Brands are psychological phenomena”
This view comes from traditional marketing, where the brand lives inside your head:
“It’s all about brand perception!”
“A brand is what the consumer thinks and feels about it!”
📍In that view, brands are just mental shortcuts or emotional triggers in the consumer’s brain.
💡 CCC flips the script: Brands are socio-cultural phenomena
Brands don’t just exist in our minds—they live in culture, language, rituals, and shared social practices.
- It is the collective (socio-cultural) nature that makes them powerful (They have power not because we personally believe in them, but because everyone around us acts like they’re real.)
- Stories have become conventional and are continually reinforced because they are treated as truths in everyday social interaction
Axioms of cultural branding
CORE PRINCIPLES of Cultural Branding (Theo-style):
- Brands tell identity myths
→ They help people feel whole, understood, or empowered when culture feels confusing or pressuring. - They respond to cultural tensions
→ There’s always a social issue or contradiction in the background (e.g., freedom vs. control, beauty vs. authenticity). - They challenge the dominant narrative (orthodoxy)
→ Great brands don’t just blend in—they offer an alternative story. - They act like cultural activists
→ The brand takes a stand in a cultural conversation (e.g. Dove on beauty, Nike on racial justice, Patagonia on climate). - They gain power through co-creation
→ Fans, influencers, and cultural gatekeepers help build and spread the myth. The brand is shared—not controlled top-down.
Cultural Branding vs Mind-share branding
CB: Brands want u to see yourself in it, with symbolic meaning, myths & identity expressions.
MSB: Brands want u to believe something about it. Functional benefits & mental association
Why cant mind share branding build iconic brands?
It simplifies decision making fro the consumer, however this reductionism will never lead to the building of an iconic branding.
Then why do managers maintain this model?
It allows for easy rationalization of the branding task.
If a brand is a timeless abstract entity then creating a brand strategy is pretty easy. ‘Once u got it, u’ve got it’
Why can’t emotional branding build iconic brands?
consultants had these ideology that managers build emotional appeals in to their branding efforts to forge an intimate connection with consumers.
-Emotions will sell!
But this is a fallacy, emotional attachments is the consequences of a great myth.Emotional branding can’t build iconic brands because it focuses on creating individual feelings rather than addressing collective identity desires through culturally resonant myths.
What is viral branding? and why it also can’t build iconic brands?
Viral branding aims to spread brand messages organically through consumer networks—usually via social media, memes, or shareable content. The focus is on buzz, visibility, and engagement. The brand acts more like a platform for content than the storyteller itself.
Why Can’t Viral Branding Build Iconic Brands?
- Because viral branding focuses on attention and entertainment, not on crafting a deep, consistent identity myth. It chases trends and shares, which leads to fragmented messaging. Iconic brands require cultural authority and symbolic meaning, not just virality.
‘Simply getting people totalk about something is not a note worthy event.
Main point is that…
These (mind-sharing, emotional, viral branding =Conventional branding) are the characteristic of strong brands.BUT!!
These characters however are the consequence (result) of successful youth making, not the CAUSE!
From persuation to myth making
Conventional Branding: (influence through facts/benefits)
Uses ads to persuade you—”Buy this because it’s high quality / cheaper / has better features.”
Goal = change how you think about the product.
Example: “This toothpaste whitens better than others!”
Cultural Branding: (Inspire through symbolic storytelling)
Focuses on telling stories (myths) that connect with your identity or cultural values.
Goal = make you feel seen or understood in your life context.
Example: Apple’s “Think Different” made consumers feel like creative rebels, not just tech users.
From Abstract Association top Cultural Expressions
Conventional Branding:
Builds the brand with abstract adjectives:
“cool,” “fun,” “adventurous,” etc.
- These are general personality traits they want you to associate with the brand.
- Example: Red Bull = “edgy,” “energetic”
Cultural Branding:
Builds value through concrete stories and cultural symbols, not just traits.
- It’s not about calling yourself “cool”—it’s about showing it in a cultural context.
- Example: Harley-Davidson doesn’t just say “we’re rebellious,” it shows rebellion through biker culture and freedom myths.
From Consistency to Historical Fit
Conventional Branding:
Says brands should stay consistent forever.
“Pick your personality and stick to it!”
Message: Be the same in every ad, every time, no matter what’s going on in the world.
Cultural Branding:
Says iconic brands change with the times.
They evolve their myth to respond to current social tensions or generational values.
Message: “Be relevant to today’s cultural struggles.”
Example: Nike aligned with racial justice movements (Kaepernick campaign) to keep its cultural fit with a new generation of athletes and activists
Targeting myth markets
-identity brands compete in myth markets, not product markets
-the key tasks for cultural branding is to identify the most appropriate myth market.
-Successful iconic brands leap across cultural disruptions by deciphering the new myth markets created by the disruption and homing in on a new target
