Recently I was given three tote bags for a single university event. What they possibly think I’ll be doing with one of their tote bags, let alone three, I don’t know. What is their intent? To plaster their logo across as many surfaces as possible? To drown me in a tide of unbleached cotton? Aside from these ones, I own two other university tote bags, both foisted upon me without warning. What’s more, I had the opportunity this week to attend a tote-bag decorating event. These uninspiring vessels, devoid of personality, take up a disproportionately large section of our culture, and it’s utterly baffling. There are, of course, the stereotypes – they’re performative, desperately alt, yes, but that’s not even my gripe. My gripe is that I had ONE and that was enough.
People – myself certainly but this applies to everyone – do not need more stuff. If it’s true that there’s currently enough clothes on the planet to clothe the next six generations, then I’d guess that there are probably enough tote bags to accessorise the next twelve. There are definitely enough in my cupboard to see me out. Some say there’s no creativity in the world today, and good lord, that seems to be the case with marketing. The depressingly unoriginal gesture of a free tote bag is enough to make me actively avoid a company. I refuse to do your marketing for you by becoming a walking advert. Trivial as this may sound, it’s actually just one strand of the justified rage I feel at the pervasiveness of marketing these days.
Photo by Imaan Shamsi for The Student.
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The Short Rant: No, I Don’t Want Your Free Tote Bag
Recently I was given three tote bags for a single university event. What they possibly think I’ll be doing with one of their tote bags, let alone three, I don’t know. What is their intent? To plaster their logo across as many surfaces as possible? To drown me in a tide of unbleached cotton? Aside from these ones, I own two other university tote bags, both foisted upon me without warning. What’s more, I had the opportunity this week to attend a tote-bag decorating event. These uninspiring vessels, devoid of personality, take up a disproportionately large section of our culture, and it’s utterly baffling. There are, of course, the stereotypes – they’re performative, desperately alt, yes, but that’s not even my gripe. My gripe is that I had ONE and that was enough.
People – myself certainly but this applies to everyone – do not need more stuff. If it’s true that there’s currently enough clothes on the planet to clothe the next six generations, then I’d guess that there are probably enough tote bags to accessorise the next twelve. There are definitely enough in my cupboard to see me out. Some say there’s no creativity in the world today, and good lord, that seems to be the case with marketing. The depressingly unoriginal gesture of a free tote bag is enough to make me actively avoid a company. I refuse to do your marketing for you by becoming a walking advert. Trivial as this may sound, it’s actually just one strand of the justified rage I feel at the pervasiveness of marketing these days.
Photo by Imaan Shamsi for The Student.
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