Le devenir des marques... Quel devenir ?

The Fate of Brand-Names… What Future Lies Ahead ?
According to economists, consumerism has stalled. Worse yet, merchants complain, they are losing their grip on households which increasingly go for generic products offered at lower prices without brand identification in super-stores. Are consumers becoming more prosaic, less conscious of brand-names and more preoccupied with satisfying basic needs at a lower cost?
R. Rocheford answers in the negative. “Consuming in a rich country is both the satisfaction of a need and the indulgence of a pleasure”. This increasingly important and non material dimension leads the consumer to “exert some resistance by mixing up their cards” in order to conserve the mystery and intimacy which is part of the attraction of consumerism.
G. Caron does not underestimate the impact of mass distribution, while he insists that it does not portend a world without brand-names. Trade marks remain an important factor in merchandising, and consumers’ coolness does not mean the end of consumerism. On the contrary.
Nevertheless, a successful trademark must “break into time, both as a sign and a trailmaker”, carry an identity (just like human genes), live, and be noticed.
While G. Caron does not think that we are heading towards a no-brand-name world, his description of the components and development stages does acknowledge transition. He identifies those which survive, those which restructure and those which decay. He tells their story as the story of living organisms.