Brand

In many ways, logos have become a kind of international language. Most people around the word could identify the Shell or Esprit logo: we are united by what companies sell us. Not surprisingly perhaps, an increasing number of people complain ' there is no escape from brands'.

There are several reasons for this. Firstly, big brand tend to squeeze out small, independent business. In addition, their branches tend to spread rapidly and occupy more and more space in our cities.

Another reason is that advertising today is not just about selling products: it is about selling a dream, a message. The point of brand-stretching is that you do not really build brands around products, but around reputation. So, for example, you can go to your Virgin record shop, buy a Virgin cola and get on a Virgin train.

Naturally, such a strategy has its risks. Dissatisfaction with one product can reflect badly on the brand: if Virgin trains are late, people may lose confidence in Virgin banks. Or if you discover that your expensive trainers are made by underpaid teenagers working in conditions in a third world country, you may begin to question the brand that claims to sell you a 'healthy way of life'.