Branding to Sell the American Dream

Tapping the power of an influential consumer has long been a practice of marketers. But with so many voices buzzing on the web these days, how can a marketer be sure it has found the right group of "influencers" to help it get the word out? Once, influencer meant being the coolest kid on the playground or in the mall or in the club whom everyone else was trying to emulate. But with the explosion of the blogosphere, it's no longer just the cool kids that are tagged as influencers; everyone and their mother -- mommy bloggers are now some of the biggest influencers in the consumer space -- can be needle movers. Influencers range from parent bloggers to photography enthusiasts to brand evangelicals. Using bloggers helps stimulate authentic word of mouth that's relevant to the consumer and brand, and builds long-term relationships with these influencers. Offline - that is in the real world- recommendations are a brand’s Holy Grail. How many times have we tried a brand on a friend’s advice, and by the same token, avoided some brand after reading its bad reviews? Now let’s put together the offline experience with the social media buzz and you get a movie about “influencers” and the brands “The Joneses” is an independent film that proposes itself, at least at first, as a satire of modern consumerism. Members of the titular family, a foursome with perfect teeth, lithe bodies and limitless sex appeal, don’t just embody a sleek and seamless ideal of material comfort and aesthetic perfection. They also sell that ideal, with an aggression that is no less ruthless for being invisible, in their pursuit of happiness. The Joneses are not a family at all, but rather a unit of marketers dispatched to a wealthy subdivision to hawk merchandise to their new neighbors in an upscale community, seducing the neighbors into buying more stuff. The Joneses are employees of a mysterious company, and their productivity is measured by their success in inducing the neighbors to keep up with them. The more golf clubs, track suits, cellphones and high-end prepared dinners that are sold, the happier the Joneses’ bosses seem to be. The movie unravels a tight, understated satiric premise of social criticism, finding the soft heart of the debt-driven, compulsive materialism that is a pervasive aspect of American life. Aside from its satirical commentary on suburban life and consumerism, the film exemplifies branding’s Holy Grail: word of mouth.