Porsche, Ferrari Or Land Rover Gear, Where Does Your Loyalty Lie?

A phrase that I was unfamiliar with until recently has kept on cropping up in conversation of late, 'logoed up'. The term is a humorous way of describing people who wear clothing that displays the designers name prominently somewhere and looks like the item of clothing was created around the label rather than the other way around. For big name designers it's a way of getting added or free publicity and a walk down any high street will tell you that big name designers have not been slow into recognising the fact.

Labels like YSL, Calvin Klein and Reebok are everywhere. It's no longer enough to have a discreet embroidered logo on the breast pocket of a shirt or on the pocket of a pair of jogging pants, it has to cover an arm or a leg and stand out. For the wear it's also a way of asserting an identity. The trend isn't just confined to out and out designer labels or sports goods, recently the RED campaign sold t-shirts for its charity and not only did they make much needed money they also got the name of the charity, RED, prominently displayed on the high street.

Even unlikely manufacturers are seeing the potential of this type of product placement; it is after all a lucrative market as more and more people use labels as an indicator to their social standing or group. Even car manufacturers are moving in on the market. Porsche and Ferrari, known for their stylish design are now as likely to be mentioned in a conversation about perfume as they are about engines and Land Rover gear like umbrellas and bags is being sold alongside similar designer items in high street shops.

Motor sports have never been more popular. Programmes like Top Gear and Fifth Gear have a regular following and the formula one season is one of the most watched sporting events in the world. With this in mind teams like McLaren and Williams produce a wide range of clothing and accessories that bear their logo so that their large and devoted following can wear the logo and show an affinity with a certain team or driver, or even an image that they think a label conveys.

This image conscious attitude is not just confined to high speed cars either. Run of the mill road cars produced by Ford or Volkswagen also come with a certain style and history attached and people will readily attach themselves to such a label if they feel and attraction. In the same way they a Porsche t-shirt says you may appreciate a certain Italian flair and have an attraction to speed, having Land Rover gear about you person says you are the outdoor type and appreciate reliability and ruggedness.

On the back of this ever increasing trend most car manufacturers have a merchandise department somewhere in their ranks. For some it's a lucrative business opportunity, for others it's just a way of retaining a presence in the same arena as the big players but for everyone it is a way of attracting interest from people who might not otherwise take an interest.

The lengths that these companies and departments will go to in the name of product placement and publicity are extraordinary. The range of Land Rover gear includes the kind of things you'd expect like shirts and caps but you can also purchase items like teddy bears, wallets and candles.

As the need to tighten belts and downsize budgets increases there is little doubt that this type of merchandise that offers manufactures a presence on the high street that is akin to free publicity will also increase and more and more Porsche, Ferrari and Land Rover gear will appear in more and more different types of high street shop.

Seed Newsvine

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