Human Branding...

"Don't judge a book by its cover", do you think that this phrasal idiom is true in reality or the 'cover' actually worth more than everything?

In fashion, automobile and electrical industry, the brand or the 'cover', contributes significantly in the positioning of a product in the eyes of the consumers. A wallet by 'Ted Baker' might be the same with the one by 'Renoma ' in quality, but the price, packaging and availability may differ greatly, making each brand shine out in their own class.

Back at the Bronx, New York in 1959, a Polish-Jewish couple started a small chain of ice-cream which grew to what we know today as the 'Haagen-Dazs'. At that time, most of the ice-creams available in the market were made of artificial emulsifiers and sweeteners; instead, the 'Haagen-Dazs' couple introduced a premium one, made of egg yolk and butterfat. 'Haagen-Dazs' sounds foreign to the American but nevertheless, it carries no meaning at all in Scandinavian. It is just another pseudo-Swedish ice cream brand.

Another easy example is the shop by the name of Beaux-arts (Please see pics). This shop carries a French brand name which means 'fine arts'. As Japanese were enthusiastic about anything foreign, especially from France and America, the Blue Grass Co. Ltd. (A Japanese company) smartly adopted a French brand name although most of the products in display were made in China. The Japanese may thought that it is a foreign brand but, however, the products are nice and I loved the design of its products (Not because of its French brand name).

With regards to the examples stated above, I have been thinking about another new-age concept which is the 'Human Branding'. Take the Jews; they are well-known to be the smartest financial experts and economical consultants. The Indians are known to be brainy in Mathematics and IT while French guys; romantic and love-players. The Arabs; piously-conservative and rich but rough and arrogant, the Chinese; quick-learner and willing to do anything for money while Japanese; hardworking bees but sometimes suicidal. What about us Malaysians? What so special about us apart from living in a harmonious melting-pot of Asian cultures and foods? Or should we just be a 'citizen of the world', branding ourselves with our own personal qualities and capabilities regardless of our origin, race, skin-colour and belief? I think it is about time to think about this...