OUGD601 - CoP - Practical aims & ideas

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Aims:

For the practical side of my dissertation my aim is created a gender neutral cosmetic brand. The brand would be aimed at males and females between 13-50 year old, this is quite a broad range of ages however this brand would hopefully substitute current cosmetics that are available and educate people that our body's work the same regardless of gender.

Brand aims:

- Brand that will be a substitute for other cosmetics
- Reduce costs and clutter for families
- Environmentally friendly - packaging will be recyclable
- No harm to animals - natural ingredients
- Different fragrances and scents available for each type of cosmetic

Packaging ideas

Idea 1:

- Biological influence to design
- Looking at patterns of hair and skin under microscope
- Reflects that regardless of gender we are made up of the same matter
- Different scents available for each type of cosmetic

Idea 2:

- Clean and minimal aesthetic with subtle elements to represent the fragrance in bottle
- Scents will be different fruits and fragrances but still natural ingredients
- Reflects how the bottle uses nothing but natural non fussy ingredients, what you see is what you get without it being suggestive or influential to a certain gender.

Idea 3: Crazy idea??

- Minimal design with a singular square representing the start of the brand.
- More squares are eventually added when more parts of the world use the product over other cosmetics.
- Eventually the design will fill up with squares making the audience feel they are part of a unified commitment to the cosmetic which helps the environment, reduces costs/clutter, non suggestive to gender and is non harmful to animals.

Idea 4:

- Minimal design with colours to represent different uses e.g blue for shampoo, dark blue for conditioner, orange for body wash.
- Different scents available


OUGD601 - CoP - Research - Gender Neutral brands

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Gender Neutral Cosmetics


Source: http://www.nellyrodilab.com/en/beauty-en/gender-neutral-cosmetics.html


S.W Basics of Brooklyn
This brand applies this strategy to promote an identity that’s strongly inspired by the food sector, with creams, scrubs, cleansers, hibiscus masks, and organic lip balms. Every one of its products meets the requirement of “less and better” containing only essential ingredients, and no mention of sex.

Analysis
The branding for these cosmetics appear neutral and not suggesting they are for any particular gender. The bottles resemble a victorian influence whilst the branding is kept simple and not over the top. The colours representing what the product is do not suggest that it should be used by either a male or female, however the use of three different fonts throughout the brand appears unorganised and cluttered. The simplicity of the layout and colours used are the strong elements to the aesthetic however the type lets the brand down as its not always legible. 


Saana Hellsten: Basik
In her thesis on gender, Finnish graphic artist Saana Hellsten postulated that the only real difference between men’s and women’s razors was their color (blue vs pink). To eliminate these clichés, she developed “Basik”, a packaging line with gender-neutral graphics that focus on the product’s function rather than the sex it is intended for.

Analysis
This is a good example of a cosmetic brand that has been stripped down and built up from a neutral perspective. The simplicity of the layout and type reflect a more neutral tone of voice and do not appear to communicate to a certain audience. This is something I would like to take note on for when it comes to the practical side of my dissertation. The colours however I think could be improved, the pastel and bold theme has potential but I do not think the colours used work at reflecting the product as a cosmetic and looks more like something medicinal.




MAKE
NYC beauty brand MAKE is known for its paraben-free products made locally. It recently launched “Naxos”, a gender-neutral product range initially with two products: lip oil and an anti-blue light primer that protects the skin from the invisible light rays emitted by computers, cell phones, etc. The brand has also done collaborations with designers like Faye Toogood, a fervent “No Gender” partisan who expresses her philosophy through her eponymous clothing line.

Analysis
This brand appears a lot more simple and minimal. There are no labels on the containers giving a more translucent look to the product which could signify the brand itself and how its a clean and neutral it is with no added chemicals or stereotypical representations of gender. The type however contradicts with what I've just said as it appears to me as 'feminine'. This is a matter of opinion but the elongated type signifies a more elegant and delicate element which does not appear to be on a neutral level.  




Context
Context applies the same philosophy to its—unisex—products, which capitalise on their formulas using powerful antioxidants, vegetable oils and natural plant extracts.

Analysis
This again is another example of a gender neutral brand. With the minimalistic aesthetic of the brand it keeps a neutral tone of voice and doesn't communicate a certain gender or sex. Although the minimal theme works well, I cannot help but think that a store full of these cosmetics would appear dull. As I believe we are in the first steps of neutralising cosmetics, the branding part isn't exactly strong yet and isn't pushing the boundaries on neutral brand aesthetics. The minimalistic structure however is something I am taking on board for my practical work, I believe its a good approach at representing these brands from a neutral level. 



Prada
These days, the gender-neutral question is also attracting the attention of luxury players who see this new offer as the ideal way of addressing a broader target while advocating values in line with the times. Prada is an excellent example; the Italian designer has launched unisex infusions, a collection of six fragrances that celebrate the gender-free lifestyle, and satisfy new consumer demands.

Analysis




OUGD601 - CoP - Research - Sam Farmer

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Gender Neutral Brand: Sam Farmer





Sam was someone I decided to contact after researching into gender neutral cosmetics. He pointed me to his blog which he updates weekly on his experience with gendered cosmetics and what influence him into creating his own gender neutral brand. It's interesting to see his analysis on gendered branding as its something that has affected him more personally. Describing his experience with his children, and how when they came into their teens they required cosmetics such as deodorants and cleansers. To his horror he says he was disgusted in the separation of aisles and what was targeted at boys and girls, his main focus was the branding of these cosmetics and what they suggested to the audience. The images he used supported this argument as you can see the difference in the tone of voice the cosmetics were communicating; 'Play it sexy', 'Kiss me' and 'Tease' all addressed the female target audience whereas the males were communicated with 'Full control', 'Team force' and 'Extreme power'. These were the brands he was pointing out as he did not agree with how teens were being communicated with and the branding of the cosmetics that was available to them. Again this relates to my theme topic for my investigation on why cosmetics are branded in this way and what does it tell about ourselves. It relates to my research into the construction of genders within advertising and how males and females are influenced to present themselves in western society. 

OUGD601 - Primary research - Existing brands

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Primary research - Existing gendered cosmetic brands

To start out my primary research I visited Boots to get an idea of gendered branding and how it applies to its target audience. My investigation was to look at cosmetic branding and analyse whether it is targeted to males or females, from previous research I have found that there isn't that much difference in the science behind the cosmetics and that they work on both genders. The smells however are different for males and females, this could potentially influence the individual to purchase the cosmetic. My aim however is to debunk gendered branding and look into why cosmetics have been branded for either male, female or both. 


Above are examples of cosmetics that have been branded for females. It is a matter of opinion whether males or females would purchase this for themselves but from my analysis the branding looks like it is more targeted at females. The use of soft pastel colours, script and serifs type would signify a more elegant and feminine aesthetic. Why this applies to women could relate to the research I have gathered from gendered advertising and the construction of genders in western society. 






On the contrary the branding for men is something I expected; almost the exact opposite aesthetic to female branding. The use of dark, metallic colours signify something more mechanical and harsh, the type too is mainly a bold san serif font, which represents strength and assertiveness. As though to suggest men must use these products in order to fulfil their roles as a man in society. Again this is a matter of opinion to the individual as some would argue the branding does not apply to them on choosing a cosmetic, however the branding is a good representation on who their target audience applies to. However this refers again to the research I collected for gendered advertising and how the roles of gender have been presented, it relates to cosmetic branding and how it also constructs gender in ways to influence individuals on how they should present themselves. 



More examples of cosmetics that were placed right next to each other but targeted at different audiences. There is a distinct difference in the way the products have been branded, yes they may smell different but both do the same job. The comparison between the two products are obvious, soft pastel brand for women and a bold, more mechanical branding for males. This suggests the theory on the fragility of masculinity, where men need their own branded products that differ from female products to ensure they fulfil the role of being a 'man'.



 



Focusing on the placement and visuals of the shelves, there still appears to be a distinct difference in the was cosmetics have been branded for males and females. However the soap and glory aisle is a little biased as it only features one brand, but the point is that female brands appear to almost dominate the cosmetic side of the store. The branding is distinctly different as it applies to different audiences even though the majority of products do the same job. 









From my analysis on gendered branding it appears that there is still a distinct difference in the branding for males and females. Although the products may do the same job, the colour and branding are the main factors which influence the individual into purchasing it. It relates to my gendered advertising research as it covers how and why gender's have been constructed in western society. The branding for cosmetics seems to support Goffman's (1978) theory on how women and male's are expected to behave and present themselves, the distinct difference in branding for these genders applies to my investigation and supports the research I have carried out so far. Although there is still branding that is more neutral and doesn't specifically apply to a gender, the aisles still appear to be dominated by gendered cosmetics.

OUGD601 - CoP Research - Codes of Gender

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I decided to watch The Codes of Gender as I thought it would be relevant research for the first chapter of my dissertation. As my focus was identity construction within society this documentary helped me get a better understanding of how femininity and masculinity have been presented in advertising.

Sut Jhally, a communications professor focus's on Erving Goffman's investigation on advertising and the way gender identity has been presented in different forms of media. Below are my notes from the documentary in which I found were the key points to acknowledge and get a better understanding of to write about in my chapter. 

'To recognise someone as male or female is absolutely fundamental to our ability to interact with them.'

'Androginist people pose a challenge to the cultural system that is dependent upon those categories being clear'

'Goffman argues there is nothing natural with gender identity'


Sex - Different biological characteristics at birth

Gender - The cultural definitions given to the physical differences

Categories in western culture

Male                                   Female

Strong                                Dependent
Intelligent                          Emotional
Competitive                      Empathetic

Masculine                           Feminine 

'These traits are made sense of through the categories of culture'

'We learn to inhabit the gender category that we have been assigned from outside from the culture'

Some cultures recognise a third sex -> Middle Sex

- Indian sub continent, theres a whole class of people called Heshra (Could not find real name on google) who are neither male or female, but a third intersex category. Close to a million.

- Ideas and attitudes about gender are shaped by the culture and society that we grew up in. 

- Western culture usually operates with a two sex two gender distinction.

- Gender Display: The process whereby we perform the roles expected of up by social convention.

Goffman - Advertising is a form of commercial realism which is trying to present the world in ways it could be real. 

The way hands are presented in advertising as male or female. Goffman argues that female hands have a different relationship to male hands.

Feminine hands
- Letting the environment control them - not assertive
- Resting
- Caressing
- Cradling
- Holding things with the ends of fingers

Masculine hands
- Powerful
- Assertive
- Moulding to their environment
- Commanding
- Firm

Goffman also argues it is rare to find themselves in the same way women do.

Images that suggest fragility, softness and powerlessness have became almost exclusively defined as feminine -> in direct opposition to what is authentically defined as masculine.
                                                                |
We are conditioned to believe that men utilising these postures are not real men. 

Female sexuality = Submissive
                                Powerless
                                Dependent

Examples:
- Dolce & Gabbana
- Nip tuck

Goffman also argues that occasionally we see the reverse but it is rare.

Ritualisation of subordination 

The category ritualisation of subordination means that women are constantly being portrayed lying down on their sides or their backs, physically positioning them closer to the ground, instead of standing up tall and holding their bodies erect, like men often times do. By lowering themselves, this symbolises being less in control of oneself.


In situations you find men laying down in the same position as women in commercial photography.                                                            
                                                                                   
What seems to connect these stereotypical poses with the stereotypical male poses is the fact they share the same presumes audience - men

- This embodies cultural assumptions about male desire and about what men want








OUGD601 - Tuesday 13th October - Methodologies & Critical Analysis

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Methodologies & Critical Analysis

Evidence the ability to use logic, reasoning and critial judgement to analyse ideas from a range of primary and secondary sources, employ critical and theoretical methodologies to evaluate examples from the relevant subject discipline.

Evidence the capacity for undertaking a wide range of independent practical and theoretical research that demonstrates as informed application of critical, effective and testable.

Methodology: Informed, critical, logical strategy for undertaking research
self planning and independent research.

- Every research project needs to have a methodology.
- Best and effective plan to maximise results from research.

Simply put
- A logical, systematic, and structured way of organising a research project and gathering necessary information.
- Evidence that you have reflected critically on various research methods and chosen the ones that are most appropriate for your particular research project.
- Why my strategy is the best strategy for my work.
- Critical reflection on the way on approaching a topic.

Books:

Gina Wisker - Palgrave research skills the post graduate research handbook.
Judith Bell - Doing your research project.

Website:

Palgrave study skills - Choosing appropriate research methodologies

What kind of research methods are you going to use?
Quantitative, or qualitative, or a mixture of both?
What do you think your methods will enable you to discover?
What might they prevent you discovering?
What kind of research methods would be best suited to the kind of research you are undertaking and the research questions you are pursuing?
What sort of problems do you envisage in settings up these methods?
What are their benefits?
What will you need to do to ensure they gather useful data?

Your methodology may include:

- Literature review
         - Libraries, Journals, Internet
- A particular theoretical approach
- Questionnaire
          - Sample size, Reliability and Validity.
          - Consider audience age.
- Interviews
          - Structured or unstructured? Bias?
- Sketchbooks/critical diaries/reflective logs.

Outline your methodology at the start of the Dissertation.

Critical Analysis

Selecting from a variety of options and choosing the most reliable answer.
Selecting important knowledge.
Skepticism - having an idea and testing that idea
Informed decision making
"Stepping away" and using evidence and logic to come to your conclusions.

Where was the author/artist/designer/photographer situated?

Try to consider different points of view
- Where the creator was coming from intellectually; emotionally; philosophically, politically...

Context is everything
- Consider the influence of one or more of the following: the time; places; society; politics; economics; technology; philosophy; scientific thought

Some perspectives that you might adopt or encounter
- Marxist
- Neoliberal
- Sociological
- Psychological
- Postmodernist
- Technological
- Fundamentalist
- Positivist

Argument
What do I want to say?
How will I answer this?
Whats the point I want to make?
Have I got evidence to back it up?
Am I expressing myself clearly and logically?

Triangulation
Pitting alternative theories against the same body of data
Multiple theories to answer a question, multiple ideas at one subject to find which is the most appropriate.

A bad argument
- Contradict themselves
- Have no relationship with previous statements
- Do not have any logical sequence
- Are based on assumptions that were never questioned
- Appeal to authorities that are known to be limited or suspect
- Present opinion as argument unsupported by evidence
- Try to claim absolute instead of qualified truths

You need to show the reader that you are evaluating the evidence for its relevance and reliability.

Evaluation= Looking at and coming to conclusions about the value of your evidence.

OUGD601 - Tuesday 28th September - Organising your research project

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Organising your research project
Stella Cottrel - Critical thinking skills

Deadline - Thursday 14th January 2016, 2-4pm 
                  15 weeks!

Aim -  Draft before christmas
Lecture 1: Organising your research project
Lecture 2: Methodologies + Critical Analysis
Lecture 3: Resolving your research project + Academic Corrections

Planning the project

- Write down all questions that you want to investigate
- Consider each on their merits and focus on two (primary and secondary)
- What is the purpose of the study?
- Is your question researchable?
-Working title
- This can be revised before submission but shouldn't be radically different to your ideas at this stage.

Project Outline

- Consider timings
- Consider holidays/work/life
- Think about your working title and the different component parts that need researching

 Literature search

- Books
- Websites
- Surveys
- Triangulation
- Journals (www.Jstor.org)

- Separated in chapters
- Each chapter should ideally evidence a different theoretical/methodological approach
- Into/conclusion
- Move from the general to specific

OUGD601 - CoP - Proposal

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Context of Practice Proposal

 For my dissertation topic I intend to focus the topic around genders in advertising and investigate what people associate with masculinity and femininity. As there is a growing popularity with gender fluidity within media and society, I would like to investigate into the psychology behind gender and what is defined as feminine and masculine. As products such as beauty cosmetics for men and women are branded so differently, it would be interesting to study as to why these products are branded so differently and what messages they convey to the consumer.

Primary Research

- Visit beauty cosmetic stores (layout, consumer experience, colours, smells,)
- Visit stores (cosmetic brands, colours, type, layout)

Secondary Research

- Erving Goffman: Gender Advertisements
- Sandra Lee Bartky: Femininity and domination: studies into the phenomenology of oppression
- David Gauntlett: Media, gender and identity: an introduction

Quantitive Research

- Survey/questionnaire

Title:

Investigation into gendered advertising

OUGD501 Finals

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Overall I am quite pleased with my final outcomes. Considering I was pushed for time as I had left the practical work until last minute I felt like the pressure worked to my advantage as I feel like the outcomes communicate and represent what I am trying to communicate through my brand. Sticking simple minimalistic theme throughout, reflects my brand that produces and sells clean organic locally grown products. As the packaging would be mainly tissue paper for the meat and bags for the fruit and veg I feel like it would stand out from the shelf with the contrasting white tissue paper and the different colour labels and stamps.  

The products themselves will be distributed and sold in local stores such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and the Co Operative. I found that these stores are already established in every almost every town and city in the UK therefore it would be beneficial to sell these products there. As the smaller supermarkets have taken a dent in their sales due to the rising supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl I think this would bring the businesses popularity again as people would be more willing to buy a product if they know it would be benefitting them and their community instead of buying a product where the profits will be going to a corporation and not the community around them.

OUGD501 Bibliography

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Websites

 Sarah Butler & Zoe Wood
18th November 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/nov/18/uk-grocery-sales-decline-price-war-asda-sainsburys-morrisons-tesco
[Accessed 19th february]

Jane Denton
November 2014
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2825213/Experts-crown-Lidl-best-supermarket-wine-says-wotwine.html
[Accessed 19th february]

 Amanda Cable
February 2010
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1248340/Ill-discount-Aldi-One-M-S-loyalist-swallows-pride-tries-shopping-Britains-budget-supermarkets.html
[Accessed 19th february]

Rosalind Ryan
December 2005
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/dec/01/food.foodanddrink
[Accessed 19th february]

Mark Gunther
Wednesday 4th december
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/mcdonalds-fries-innate-potato-genetically-modified-food
[Accessed 19th february]


Sarah Butler 
29th September 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/sep/29/aldi-vows-to-fight-on-in-supermarket-price-war-as-uk-profits-leap-65
[Accessed 20th february]

Felicity Laurance
23rd July 2014
Poultry:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/23/-sp-revealed-dirty-secret-uk-poultry-industry-chicken-campylobacter
[Accessed 20th february]

Charles Passy
October 28th 2014
www.marketwatch.com/story/10-things-starbucks-wont-tell-you-2014-09-26?page4
[Accessed 18th May]

Chris Watt
Monday 28th February 2014
www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/starbucks-named-most-unethical-cafe-in-UK-1.1087515.
[Accessed 18th May]

Bruce Horovitz
April 10th 2015
www.dailyrecord.com/story/money/business/2015/04/10/starbucks-ethically-sourced-java/25591399
[Accessed 18th May]

Books

George Ritzer
The McDonalization of Society - Revised New Century Edition
Published: January 1st 1993

Matthew Healey
What is Branding?
Published: 1st August 2010

Wally Ollins: The Brand handbook
Published: 2nd June 2008

Wayne Ellwood
The no-nonsense guide to globalization
Published: January 2011

Cara Acred - Consumerism
1st January 2015

OUGD501 Essay

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Brand identity; the impact of ethical values within food corporations 

Branding has developed and evolved with the age of digital technology, its effectiveness can change the attitude towards global issues and communicate to a mass audience. You could also argue that it contributes to the national giant corporations getting their distinct brand embedded into the minds of the consumers in society. A brand is a simple identity of a company or product  in which the public can recognize and associate with, everything from the colour, image and type have been considered and designed to ensure the companies purpose and communication is not lost with the public. I will investigate how brands have made an impact on society and the ongoing battle with corporate chains are competing with their products and brands in the UK and how it has an impact on our society.              At first corporations used to stay in the background of their products, as noted by Wally Ollins (2008) “Manufactures either used their corporate name, such as Heinz or Kellog’s, to brand their products” this was because the corporations thought they only had one target audience; the final consumer. This enabled the manufacturers to put overlapping goods on the market, which may have not been very different in quality, but the price may have varied. With a selection of goods with lower quality branding and high quality branding it gave the consumer a choice whether they wanted to spend money on something more luxurious. As noted by Matthew Healey (2008) “Customers always believe a branded item is worth more than a generic one, even though the two may be similar.” This suggests there is a lot more involved than the aesthetic look of the brand, it provides trust to the consumer that time and money has been spent on the product, therefore it must be of a higher quality. It proves that consumers have a sense of loyalty with the brand the are investing their money into, the nicer quality branding of a product must be more luxurious, whereas a lower quality of branding for a product must mean the product itself is of a lower quality too.  
                 Wal-Mart for example is one of the leading global retailers in the world, however it causes many ethical and economic issues with mass production, distribution and waste Wally (2008) argues, “Wal-Mart represents branding at its most triumphalist, globalist, greedy and oppressive.” With giant malls/supermarkets dominating society it has a huge effect on small companies running them out of business with competing prices. Whilst in the Britain there is a ongoing competition between the large and small supermarkets who have a similar system to the giant supermarkets in America. As the larger supermarkets mainly import their goods from abroad, they sell their products cheaper which will eventually run smaller community businesses out of work as they will struggle to keep up with the competing prices. There are also prejudice views on the different supermarkets in the UK, Tesco and Asda for example despite their success are viewed very differently to their competitors such as Waitrose or M&S. Visually the branding for Tesco can be seen as tacky and unsightly, the bold harsh red and blue colours contrast with one and another. Asda also uses an illuminous green colour throughout their product branding, this makes them look of a lower quality as the colour contrasts with any other colour. These elements would indicate their products are more for the lower-middle and working classes. Whereas the branding for Waitrose and M&S is much more sophisticated and elegant. The smooth san serif typefaces give off a professional yet approachable feel to the consumers, which could promote that they are a well-established company and can be trusted with quality products. This ideally appeals more to the middle and upper classes in society who have more disposable income to buy more luxurious products.  
                  Sarah Butler (2014) noted in her article that for the first time in 20 years, grocery sales have gone into decline. She mentions that the reason for this is due to the raging price wars between supermarkets and the uprising of the smaller, cheaper supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl. This could have an impact on the way the public perceive branding for larger supermarkets. M&S with its stylish elegant branding and sexualized TV adverts was considered a well-trusted brand, with good quality commodities. Their stores has been designed to entice the consumer and make them have the most enjoyable shopping experience, this is intended to influence them into spending more money. From the stacked well lit shelves, to the fresh colourful fruit and vegetables they position at the entrance of the store, even the music they have chosen has been specifically decided to help the customer feel at ease and have a more enjoyable shopping experience. In comparison, Aldi have a different approach on their store layout and design strategy. The neatly stacked shelves are replaced with the stacking of the original boxing which the products are imported from, this is an efficient and a more environmental way to lower costs whilst ensuring the customer is still presented with exactly what they need. It saves time for the staff who would usually be neatly stacking the shelves and cuts down the waste produced by empty boxes.  
               With the likes of M&S lowering its prices to compete with the likes of the cheaper lower-income supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl, its actions lessen the effectiveness of the branding and undermine the many hard years of the customers loyalty. “At the heart of every branding effort there has to be a kernel of truth. The beauty of great branding lies in its ability to identify that truth, tell its story, make it look good, and build into a valuable, emotional bond between producer and customer” (Matthew, 2008, p.9), with that in mind the likes of Aldi’s branding is becoming more appreciated as people are becoming aware of the difference in prices and the similarities in food they find compared to their usual supermarket. Amanda (2010) an M&S loyalist argued that although Aldi’s shopping experience is different to the likes of M&S and Sainsbury’s where the well lit supermarkets have nicely designed banners and offers, Aldi cut her expenses from £120 to £45 a week with almost identical products to her previous shopping. This proves that the larger supermarkets were very successful in influencing the consumers with their brand that their products are the cheapest and best quality, when in fact the smaller supermarkets is really where the value is at. Elements of McDonalisation has been took into account when it comes to UK supermarkets. There are distinct similarities with the strategy to ensure the consumer can purchase their goods in a short amount of time in the most efficient and enjoyable way. Branding is one of the key elements in ensuring this process is successful.               Branding for the fast food industry has also had an impact on society. McDonald's, the leading fast food giant has had articles claiming they now have a restaurant in every country in the world, the brand itself is also one of the most recognisable brands and despite its reputation for producing and selling food that is unhealthy, advertisements still make their way to our televisions influencing consumers it’s a place of comfort, to socialise and eat good tasty food. The branding for McDonald’s is one of the most recognisable global brands. The golden arches represent efficiency and short term satisfaction as consumers with a busy lifestyle going from a to be need a quick bite to fulfil their needs, it can also represent the perfect form of bureaucracy and the dehumanizing effects of working for such a large corporation and other corporations that have similar work ethics.               McDonald’s has been successful in manipulating the public and entice people into an underpaid overworked system, as everyone knows, the food sold at McDonalds is unhealthy. The details of McDonald’s have all been considered and have a purpose; the very design of the interior and exterior is currently a neutral green and brown. This suggests that the soothing and relaxing colours is have been strategically decided to have an affect on the way we behave and think when around those colours. Adverts also suggest that it is a restaurant to go and socialize, relax with friends and eat good quality food and drink when in reality it’s a well-organized corporation that has a huge impact on society, it underpays its workers and exploits the public into purchasing its goods. Rosalind (2005) reported that the salads and more healthier options contain up to three times amount of salt in the food that the rest of the menu. Not only from McDonald’s but from other fast food chains such as KFC and Burger King. Mark (2013) also reported in an article that the US government regulation of genetically modified crops is inadequate. Again this shows that with effective branding and strategic marketing methods the negative side to McDonalds and its products are simply ignored. 
              George (2000) argues that Mcdonaldization is “the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world.” He argues that McDonaldization does not only affect the fast food business but virtually every other aspect of society, he argues in detail about both the negative and positive affects from it. The positives being a much wider range of goods and services that are available to a larger portion of the public, the system offering comfort and familiarity to those living in our rapidly changing hostile world and commodities and services will be of a far more uniform quality and affordable to those who may not have been able to afford it before. However George (2000) does argue the negative affects of Mcdonaldisation and how it represents the irrationality of rationality. He mentions that although the system offers powerful advantages that benefit us it also has its downside. “Efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control through nonhuman technology can be thought of as the basic components of a rational system.” (George, 2000, p.16) he argues that eating and even working in a place such as McDonalds or Starbucks has dehumanizing affects on the way we behave as people. How the queue’s to be served and the way the food is prepared resemble an assembly line almost like cattle, Ronald Takaki (2000, p.27) characterizes rationalized settings as places in which the “self was placed in confinement, its emotions controlled, and its spirit subdued.” He also mentions that the demand for quantity over quality leads to large amounts of poor quality work, the limit on skills that are required whilst working there limits the abilities for the workers which also has dehumanizing effects, over time this system has infiltrated the majority of society, its something we cannot escape as it offers part-time and full time jobs to those who may be under qualified to work elsewhere, it also offers the quick fix from being hungry to full within a short amount of time.  
           Another example a corporation that has took form from McDonaldlisation is Starbucks. Their leading brand is another identity that almost every person in western civilisation would recognise and relate to. Starbucks's logo and identity has had some changes over the past 40 years which itself has responded to the social changes in society. As the consumer has evolved the brand itself has also became more of a cultural icon for current generations, rather than the passion for coffee itself. Charles Passy (2014) mentions that in 2011 Starbucks dropped the word 'coffee' in their logo, he also mentions how Starbucks gets 26% of its revenue from products other than beverages, and in the beverage department a good portion of sales come from drinks other than coffee. The logo itself just containing the vectored illustration suggests that Starbucks is not just a coffee chain but somewhere that offers a various selection of goods to satisfy the consumer in a sociable relaxed environment.  
             Chris Watts (2011) mentioned that Ethical Consumer had ranked brands on 19 different and found that Starbucks was the worst do their behaviour on political activities and workers rights. He mentioned that they had blocked Ethiopia's attempt to improve the working and living quality of the coffee farmers, and also using genetically engineered milk full of hormones. This had a negative impact on the brands identity as we live in a society that is more ethically conscious for where goods are produced and the livelihood of the workers. With Starbucks competitors such as ATM coffee who were rated much higher in ethical reasons, Chris Watt (2011) mentions that ATM coffee were the first coffee shop in the UK to have their products completely Fair Trade and 100% organic milk, Starbucks needed to act on their ethical ways before their loyal customers swayed to other competitors. However in 2015 Bruce Horovitz (2015) stated that Starbucks are now 99% ethical and have spent more than $70 million on farm sustainability and the workers livelihood, he mentions that they are appealing towards a younger target audience who are more socially and environmentally conscious. This will boost the their brand identity back into the limelight and make people have a clear understanding of the ethical and moral values within a corporate chain.  To conclude I have investigated previous and current day issues with corporate branding and how it is affected by ethical and moral values. Corporate branding is the key essential element into making a business successful, getting a chains identity into exposed into the minds of society will not only bring it success but it will reveal hidden truths that corporations may prefer to keep a secret. McDonalds and Starbucks are strong examples of this, however have taken different approaches to meeting consumer demands. Both are very similar when it comes to their workers who work in their stores, the underpaid graveyard shifts and the cattle like assembly line in serving the products to the consumers, has dehumanizing affects on the way the public live in society. The branding itself for Starbucks has became more about the culture than the actual product, whereas McDonalds is a quick place to visit to get from hungry to full in a short amount of time. Allegations that McDonalds and Starbucks serves products that have been genetically modified can have an extremely harmful affect on the brands identity, it can leave the public feeling dismayed and loose trust with the chains themselves. However it has been reported recently that Starbucks has improved the livelihood of their growers and pumped millions of dollars into farm sustainability, with their target audience at a much younger age its clear we are entering a generation that are a lot more environmentally and ethically conscious and want to make a change. From the facts I have presented it shows that corporations can take notice of the publics demands and when they respond it brings them respect and success.  
              As for the UK supermarkets, again research has suggested that people are not falling for the well branded, more expensive goods anymore. The well established corporations such as M&S are taking a dent in their customer loyalty as competitors such as Aldi and Lidl are producing goods with similar qualities but for a much cheaper price. Although there are huge differences in the quality of branding and the interior of the stores, it appears that our economy has lead people into choosing price over the store the product was bought in. Aldi and M&S and in a way a comparison between Starbuck and McDonalds, they all have the same established assembly line system however the stores that have chosen the more environmental and ethical route are now gaining much more success. Overall there is a significance with good quality branding, if Aldi were to rebrand its logo to a more sophisticated quality then the store as a whole could be viewed as more of an honest higher standard. Brand identities such as McDonalds and Starbucks however have already exposed themselves to the global market, it would have to take a lot more work to completely change the reputations the brands withhold. They will constantly be criticised on their ethical and environmental issues unless they change the way they produce and sell their goods. 

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