Costco (A Shoppers Paradise)
There's a point in the week, usually on Saturdays, when I walk to the fridge and realize its abnormally bare. And so out of desperation I'll plead my mom to make a quick supermarket run and she'll respond with "well I'm going to Costco soon"; and without fail later in the day, typically at 3:27, we all find ourselves in the car wearing the most comfortable walking shoes we have. Unbeknownst to my mom is the fact that these Costco trips are by far the least favorite part of mine and my sisters week, and for seemingly plausible reasons. Walking through Costco is an endeavor in itself, since it seems like you never can leave in under two hours, and to find one measly product you walk through rows and rows of well priced splurges.
Costco is essentially a mass of marketing clumped into a moderately confined area under a harmless and creative brand. On my most recent adventure in the superstore I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the slogan jargon, blindingly bright colors, and creatively composed brand names. On canned cat food I noticed multiple brands acquiring the term "paté" which struck me as an attempt to affiliate its brand as one more prominent than it probably was by using snob appeal. On a bag of apples featuring the Disney logo and most memorable character- Mickey Mouse, I figured this was a similar attempt at using affiliation since the brand has acquired a successful reputation. And while browsing through the technology department no less than three marketers tried to convince me to hear them out regarding Directv since their latest offer was only for a limited time.
The more and more I walked through the aisles teeming with arrays of products I became increasingly convinced that Costco is much less of a supermarket mega store, a more a larger market for brands to compete to win over consumers in a much more desperate and clingy fashion.
Costco is essentially a mass of marketing clumped into a moderately confined area under a harmless and creative brand. On my most recent adventure in the superstore I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the slogan jargon, blindingly bright colors, and creatively composed brand names. On canned cat food I noticed multiple brands acquiring the term "paté" which struck me as an attempt to affiliate its brand as one more prominent than it probably was by using snob appeal. On a bag of apples featuring the Disney logo and most memorable character- Mickey Mouse, I figured this was a similar attempt at using affiliation since the brand has acquired a successful reputation. And while browsing through the technology department no less than three marketers tried to convince me to hear them out regarding Directv since their latest offer was only for a limited time.
The more and more I walked through the aisles teeming with arrays of products I became increasingly convinced that Costco is much less of a supermarket mega store, a more a larger market for brands to compete to win over consumers in a much more desperate and clingy fashion.
Do you think that other stores like Target are similar or is it something unique with Costco
ReplyDeleteThe excessive advertising is everywhere, but in Costco its highly concentrated and overwhelming.
DeleteI have had similar experiences and huge supermarkets and department stores. However, sometimes I notice that I am often oblivious to all the marketing around me because the bombardment of ads and commercialization has become a norm for me.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this trend will increase?