Brand on the Run

Richard Benson made a very clear point with his first short story on "Brand on the Run". He used the example of a man named Bernard who always liked clothes from good labels. The more expensive the clothes were, the better. Later on, Bernard discovered that a pair of Italian-label shoes had been made in Taiwan. He then realized that he's not really paying for the proper craftsmanship associated with such "Italian-heritage" shoes. Why should he be paying all that money for the shoes if they are "made the same place as everything else, 'cos then it's just the label, innit?"
This idea of the consumer paying for the label, and not necessarily the quality of the product, has recently escalated to a point of absurdity. I have experienced this first hand, as many of my friends have fallen victim to the "brand trend." Every youth from a particular neighborhood can be seen wearing either NIKE or JORDAN's footwear for the sole purpose of being "cool." We don't buy clothes because they feel comfortable anymore, nor do we buy them for their long lasting and high quality. We only want and buy what is "hot" at the moment. If this is taken into consideration, then we can see why "the power of a corporation often exceeds that of a democratically elected government." The "brand" can easily use propaganda to market it's products; as Benson described, with marketing departments using "activists techniques" to enhance their counter cultural allure.