On a recent visit to NYC, I came upon this scene of brand excess just north of Trump Tower on 5th Ave.
This is the Louis Vuitton store wrapped to look like 19th-century steamer trunks.
“It is finished with the classic detailing synonymous with Louis Vuitton’s savoir-faire including handles, signature locks, and silver hardware rendered in chrome-plated, laser-cut steel,” said Louis Vuitton.
The facade is informed by a heritage grey canvas used by the brand. The photo is by Brad Dickson
“3D scans of real Louis Vuitton hard-sided trunks were used to create the locks and latches, and the steel corners have been hand-welded. The stack features 840 rivets, each etched with the moniker ‘Louis Vuitton’.”1
I think of myself as dulled to the glut of capitalist marketing that surrounds us. But, this seems to set new standards for the excesses that marketing to millionaires and billionaires in the top 1% engenders. I was disturbed.
Modern marketing began in the 1920s when mass circulation newspapers were joined by radio as regular parts of most people’s days. Some of the early practitioners of marketing were quite open about their function in the capitalist market system. They referred to themselves as “demand managers”. Today we have “attention —>> read more –>>
This is definitely an “Other” category topic. My stepdaughter Andrea has long lived in Harlem overlooking Marcus Garvey Park (aka Mt.Morris Park) from the 25th story. This is a perspective that I view on every visit. Of course, I have been to the top of the Empire State Building and —>> read more –>>
In our continuing effort to find varied sources to illustrate the power of marketing and the costs of unregulated capitalism we return to John Oliver’s show Last Week Tonight for his segment on sugar in food. The food industry continues to put sugar in nearly every processed food and fights —>> read more –>>
