Branding People

What once filled up the arms of bikers and outlaws have now become a form of art and expression inked onto the flesh of under aged teens, fathers of a two year old, A-list celebrities, the average business woman and even your aging grandmother. Tattoo’s have indefinitely etched their way into the mainstream culture and have become a norm accepted by a mass population. Although, tattoo’s may generally still be associated with the “bad ass” or “rebellious” image, to those in the business and to those who are fond of the art form, they mean much more. It’s about self expression, freedom of choice, a symbol of significance or a memory of some kind. A lot of thought goes into the decision of what to get tattooed. After all, it is permanent. You wouldn’t want to plaster something meaningless onto your body. Or would you if it involved a little bit of cash?

Corporations spend hundred thousands of dollars on TV spots, magazine space, and air time to invade the personal space of it’s target market. In the hustle to outshine the competition, advertisers are always searching for new ways and more ad space to draw in consumers from their rivals. How are they doing it exactly? By invading your personal space, literally. I’ve heard of selling your soul to corporate America, but who could have thought that the average John Doe would sell his body too?

In 2006, a woman auctioned off ad space on her forehead for $10,000 on eBay. She now has GoldenPalace.com permanently tattooed across her forehead. Since then, GoldenPalace.com, the online casino and poker room have been publicizing the living proof of the “human billboard” by paying off several other candidates who were up for tattooing the logo permanently or temporarily somewhere on their body. As outrageous and humorous as it may sound, GoldenPalace.com owns this woman’s forehead, and the arms and ankles of many alike. While this woman was compensated for her bold choice in body art, what about the occasional fans who go as far as engraving their bodies with brand logos such as Apple, Harley Davidson, Monster, Nike or even IKEA simply out of love for the brand and what it represents? Why do people feel so connected to a brand that they will literally become human billboards and permanently tattoo themselves with a corporate logo?

I’ve heard of brand loyalty, but even this seems a bit extreme. A recipient of an Apple tattoo says that he got it done because he always wants to be true to the brand since he believes Macs are the best. There are definitely some real fanatics out there, a bit crazy if you ask me, but what instigates and influences such brand loyalty to one specific brand when there are so many others selling the same products? In my opinion, commodities are faceless until they are branded. A brand amounts to much more than just a logo behind a commodity; it represents a personality and a certain lifestyle, which in a sense also represents status. It’s similar to the coffee debate we had in class; Starbucks vs. Tim Hortons. The two brands personify two different images even though they both sell coffee. People want to be attached to or associated with a certain image and feel as if they belong to some sort of elite group.

When you’ve tattooed a brand logo on to your body, you’ve pretty much branded yourself. You agree that aspects of your personality, lifestyle, behavior, and/or outlook on life represent most of if not all of which the company personifies and stands for. For example, if you get the Apple logo tattooed, you’re stating that you “think differently” and stand out from the rest, or if you choose to get a Monster tattoo, you’re expressing that you are enraged, loud and obnoxious. So if you’ve branded yourself, have you commodified your body? I would say yes. You’ve commodified your body. This ancient art form that’s considered to be personal and hold some sort of sentimental or religious significance is now valued primarily for it’s commercial worth. Although the corporate tattoo suggests one’s identification with the brand, it is valued as commercial to me because regardless of the fact if these passionate (or crazy) inked fanatics have not been compensated for their bold choice in art, corporations are still receiving free media space and profiting off of their bodies.