Brands, products and services can appeal to individuals through their use of type, image, relativity, comparison and overall design. A car manufacturer such as Tesla, for example, uses red to appeal to traditional car enthusiasts due to its strong relation with the industry of high-performance cars. They use the Gotham typeface because typographically it's extremely new, and is often used on new or emerging products. When the brand is represented by a person, they use a variety of 'ambassadors' to surgically appeal to particular groups of people, e.g. wealthy older people, young higher-ups, environmentalists, speed-junkies, and tech enthusiasts.
Consumers can use products and services to extend their 'identity' in social situations. They may buy a high-performance sports car even though they have no interest in cars or racing just to try and gain a desired identity (wealthy, successful, desirable). They may spend an absurd amount of money
Mercedes-Benz has been very successful in appealing to those with a desire for and access to luxury. They use a high-luxury custom serif typeface which resembles an even more luxurious and higher positioned form of Bodoni, creating an immediate link to other luxury brands and icons such as Armani etc. They use a superior tone of voice (their motto itself is "The best or nothing") to echo the voice inside the minds of the consumers desiring success and recognition above all else.
It could easily be argued that there are a variety of ethical concerns present in the current state of consumerism and advertising. The issue of body image and low self-esteem is often cited as being a majorly negative aspect of modern society; one in which the media propagates an image of the ideal male and female human, an image and person unattainable by most which then feeds into a broader cycle of self-dissatisfaction, seemingly curable only through the consumption of products and services.
How does this relate to the advent of sustainable transport? Can these observations be used to create positive change? How would the exploitation of consumer-self be avoided?
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