Brands that speak for us are brands we buy

Time Warner's got good reason to hate Glenn Beck. He's a Libertarian and his TV ratings are skyrocketing. The last I heard, CNN viewership was tumbling.

So how does Time Warner's Time magazine react to Beck's rising popularity. They 'carefully' trash him using their latest cover story. (Quote) 'Extreme talk, especially as practiced by a genuine talent like Beck, squeezes maximum profit from a relatively small, deeply invested audience, selling essentially the same product in multiple forms. The more the host is criticized, the more committed the original audience becomes. And the more committed the audience, the bigger target it presents to the rant industry on the other side of the spectrum. A liberal group called Color of Change has organized an advertiser boycott of Beck's TV show — great publicity for the group and a boon to Beck's ratings.'

Glenn Beck scores with conservative viewers because he articulates what they desperately want to say. At a time when Barack's walking the socialist road, its become all the more important for conservatives and libertarians to speak up and be heard. They are getting themselves heard in Townhalls and Tea parties. But on screen, who's going to speak up for them? Glenn Beck. And Glenn does it brilliantly. He doesn't just say it ( he characterised Obama as someone who's got a deep rooted hatred for whites). He does so with fervour and emotion (he shed tears). That's what makes him a darling to the conservative masses.

As people our desire for expression is inherent. We do so in many says; Speaking up, writing about it and sometimes even expressing through art. The other avenue that we've found in expressing ourselves is by connecting to those entities who speak what we otherwise would have wanted to articulate. Avenues like Glenn Beck. Avenues like Brands.

Brands speak for us. The brand that articulates what we want to say about ourselves is the one we buy. Note, I talking conspicuous consumption. For the kid on the high street, the Nike sneaker is an expression of his cool and sporty character. Its what speaks for him.

The challenge for the Marketer is to uncover the personality we seek. Then to craft an identity for a brand that resonates with our desire to express our personality. If the marketer efforts result in a brand that speaks for us, that's the brand we'll buy.