MC_MPREPORT by marta candeias

BOOK 3# MARTA SOFIA CANDEIAS MA GB&I LCC 速 2011

ABSOLUTE LOYALTY速

THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

ABSOLUTE LOYALTY® THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

CONTENTS

04 - 05 RESEARCH QUESTION 07 - 09 INTRODUCTION 00 - 00 LOYALTY, HOW LONG IS FOREVER. CONTEXT 22 - 23 BRANDS VS CONSUMERS 24 - 31 METHODOLOGIES - FIELD OF STUDY 32 - 33 THE MAJOR PROJECT OUTCOME EXIT THROUGH THE TATTOO SHOP 34 - 37 THE MAJOR PROJECT OUTCOME ABSOLUTE LOYALTY THE BOOK OF BRANDS 42 - 39 CONCLUSION 40 -45 APPENDICES 46 LIST OF ILUSTRATIONS 47 - 51 BIBLIOGRAPHY

RESEARCH QUESTION

TRUE LOVE BRANDS. LOYALTY, HOW LONG IS FOREVER?

INTRODUCTION

This report is to accompany my major project work, which resulted in a Book â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Absolute Loyalty, The Book of Brandsâ&#x201E;˘. Loyalty is a concept found in every country, culture around the world, from the first recorded histories to the modern age, even though the application of the concept may vary widely. Loyalty is usually associated with certain natural or conventional affinity groups. Some researchers have argued that loyalty is not just about the individual but tends to be expressed in loyalties to certain kinds of natural associations, such as friendships, family, organizations, countries, religions, subcultures, music bands or even to brands. My work focuses on, in my view, the most permanent and lifelong visual expression of loyalty, tattoos. The work explores the aspects of a lifetime commitment towards objects and products focusing on individual attachment towards brands (branding) visually expressed with tattoos. I have attempted, through a series of books, and case studies to deconstruct the semiotics of loyalty. In this case, tattoos are used as a visual expression of emotions as representation of individual identity and in decoding different types of loyalties. Drawing on the ordinary and everyday, my work explores the relationship between people and the surrounding world, focusing on their emotions towards brands and products and the way these emotions are expressed through brand tattoo. The aim of this work is to investigate and make a proposal of new methods and branding concepts based on permanent and emotional attachments towards objects and products (Brands).It will use tattoos as visual expression, that are both meaningful to me and my audience, that could then be applied by designers and brand managers when strengthening successful brand loyalty.

In order to meet the challenge of creating effective and strong messages, I believe it is essential to understand the complexities of society, as it is essential to give priority to peopleÂ´s emotions that then could be applied when creating products. Everyday we come across millions of messages calling for our attention, not only to increase our awareness but to help us to make decisions, for example when choosing to stay with the same brand, product or buying a new one just because is cheaper. What makes people become loyal? Is it the familiarity of the product? Is it the sound of music, is it a sense of belonging to a country that makes a person patriotic, or is it the taste of Coca-Cola that is sweeter then Pepsi that makes you choose one and not the other? Consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s respond differently to situations and environments and so their personal tastes, and the emotions towards brands and products are similar. It is important, that brand managers and designers understand their needs and aspirations when creating brands and products. In my work, the issue is not general Tattoos but the phenomenon of Brand Tattoos and the customer motivations and emotions behind the permanent, lifelong decision when tattooing a brand. In order to understand the research problem I have undertaken descriptive, historical and analytical research into Emotional Branding, Brand Cult, Tattoo Subculture and Identity theories in order to gain a deep understanding of the research subject.

To meet my objectives and understand the subject I have used some observation techiques, interviewed tattoo artists, analyzed statistjcs on the subject, and created a photography and video archive from my fieldwork expeditions to tattoo shops. My creative response to the research undertaken is a short film, that shows the phenomenon of tattooing entitled “Exit through the tattoo shop” and a book that I called “Absolute Loyalty - The book of brands”, with 170 selected brands designs ready to be permanently inked on the body The hope is to lead the viewer beyond the simple act of tattooing; the objective of the work is to explore ways and methods to create lifelong attachments, between the customer and the brand, and to engage people in a new and permanent method of commitment, using Tattoos.

“TELL ME AND I WILL FORGET, SHOW ME AND I MIGHT REMEMBER, INVOLVE ME AND I WILL UNDERSTAND”. Benjamin Franklin

LOYALTY, HOW LONG IS FOREVER!

1. Gobé, M. Emotional Branding, 2001, p.XIII.

The world is living in uncertain times, financial crisis is happening in almost every country, and the result is civilians taking to the streets in protest to seek political change. This change reflects in the world economy. For brands, the ups and downs of the world, needs to be seen as a permanent challenge, forcing brands to stay one step ahead from their competitors. In today´s world, it is crucial that brands understand customer´s expectations and desires towards their brands, in order to keep them loyal. “Branding is not only about ubiquity, visibility and functions; it is about bonding emotionally with people in their daily life. Only when a product or a service kindles an emotional dialogue with consumer, can this product or service be a brand”.1 Customers are demanding greater degrees of engagement from brands as they evaluate every interaction from culture to product. In response to the changing world and in order to create the ultimate brand experience, brand owners must become more sensitive to customer needs and desires. These needs demand research into new methods of consumer motivation, and the creation of multi-functional teams that can drive creative thoughts and innovation. It is very important for brands to understand the key points of emotional branding. Emotions are what drive consumers to make the decision to become loyal and connected to one brand and not to another. In Marc Gobé´s book (2001,p.xxxii), Emotional Branding is based on four essential pillars, relationship, sensorial experiences, imagination and vision. • Relationship is about showing respect for your consumers by giving them the emotional experience they really expect from the brand. • Sensorial Experiences is providing consumers with sensory experience of the brand, wich is the key to achieving the kind of memorable attachment to their consumers that allowed them to establish a brand preference and loyalty.

• Imagination is the brand design execution which is the stroke that makes the emotional branding process real. Imaginative approaches to the design of products, packaging, retail stores, advertisements and web sites, allow the brand to reach consumers hearts in a fresh new way going beyond their imagination. • Vision is the ultimate factor of a brand´s long-term success. Brands evolve through a natural life cycle so consumers expect brands to always work towards the future, by constantly reinventing themselves. In order to be successful Brands need to involve consumers in the process as corporates don´t owned brands, people does. “The emotional element is what gives a brand both the foundation and the fuel for future business strategiesconsumer-driven strategies”2 Consumers instinctively look for meaning, for something they trust, which is relevant and that fulfills their needs. On the other hand Brands should be looking for customers that are deeply engaged with the brand, that are connected and support their ideas. Brand tattoo is the ultimate expression of customer loyalty, it a physical lifelong connection between the customer and the brand. Konvitz (1973, p.108) states: almost “anything to which one´s heart can become attached or devoted, may also become an object of loyalty, principles, causes, brands, ideas, ideals, and ideologies”. 3 Brand tattooing in my opinion, could be the key when creating new methods of customer motivation, and powerful brands. Tattoos are permanent and are the ultimate visual expression of Loyalty, in this case towards brands. Brands could then have communites and even become cult brands.

2. Gobé, M. Emotional Branding, 2001, p.XXVI.

3. Konvitz, Encyclopedia of the History of ideas, 1973, p.108

CULT BRANDS

5. Atkin,D. The Culting of Brands: When Customers Become True belivers, 2005, p.XIX.

Today, we live in a world in which we are surrounded by commercial icons, by brand symbols that carry meaning in their shape. Consumers (People) have the necessity to belong to somethi ng, and when religion doesn´t fill the role, something more materialistic takes its place. Cult branding is a new phenomenon that has appeared because of capitalist societies. As a definition cult brand is “a brand for which a group of customers exhibit a great devotion or dedication. Its ideology is distinctive and it has a well-defined and committed community. It enjoys exclusive devotion and its members often become voluntary advocates”.5 In my personal point of view, cults are not always bad. On many occasions they can be good for the individual, as in a religious/spiritual, supportive, hobby based, professionally stimulating, or brand driven way. In 2002 BJ Bueno published “The Power of Cult Branding”. The book promotes a branding model, where the author argues that brands should be looking closely into customers that have tattooed their brands, in order to build strong and a successful business. From BJ´s (2002) research into the nature of Cult Brands and Brand Lovers, customers that tattooed brands are the ones that have a deeper understanding of the business, brands. In his opinion Brand Tattoos, when understood can teach brand managers about consumer motivations. In Bueno´s model brands should follow 7 work rules to become Cult Brands: 1. Social Groups:Consumers want to be part of a group that’s different. 2. Courage: Cult-Brand inventors show daring and determination. 3. Fun: Cult Brands sell lifestyles.

4. Human Needs Listen to “Brand lovers” (Tattooed customers), create Cult-Brand evangelists. 5. Contribution: Cult Brands always create customer communities. 6. Openness: Cult Brands are inclusive. 7. Freedom: Cult Brands promote personal freedom and draw power from their enemies. With regards to Tattoo Brands, Bueno (2000) explains that there are psychological reasons that lead consumers to brand themselves with tattoos of the companies they love: • Membership into Social Groups, brand tattoos help consumers bond with others in the same social group, who share special interests and common values. Brand tattoos represent the sense of belonging to a unique and meaningful community. • Meaningful Association, tattoos are permanent reminders of personal values, memories, experiences and emotions. • Connecting with Ideals, brand tattoos are reminders of the consumer´s ideal life. The brand becomes associated with specific ideals. For example, Apple has become inextricably linked to creativity, beauty and expression.Consumers see the brand mark as a reminder of these ideals, and they draw strength from that image. Consumers instinctively look for meaning as it is part of the human condition to naturally look into something to fulfill their aspirations. Brand tattoos create a permanent physical connection between the consumer and the brand. In order to understand brand tattoos, it is important to gain a deeper understanding into the Tattoo subculture and their views on commercial and mainstream tattoos.

TATTOO SUBCULTURE “Tattoos have a power and magic all their own. They decorate the body but they also enhance the soul.”6

6. Delio, M. 2000, p.10

Tattoos were first brought to the west from Polynesia by eighteenth-century British explores. Since then, tattooing has been mapped and re-mapped through its history in the United Kingdom and in the United States. First by nineteenth-century sailors and circus “folk”, later by the working class, then in the midcentury by bikers, convicts and other marginalized groups and in the late twentieth century by members of the middle class. Since its first arrival in United Kingdom tattoos have shifted back and forth between upper and lower classes, and also shifted in meaning. Tattoos evolved and have been redefined, moving from a mark of the primitive to a symbol of the future, it can become a sign of patriotism or a mark of rebellion. Tattoos communities start to appear in a way to celebrate the art of tattooing, mostly connected to subcultures, punks, skinheads, goths, rockabillies and others.“Tattoos may well reflect class differences, differences in tastes, self image and occupation”.7 Sociologically speaking, wearing a tattoo connects the individual to significant others with similar traits, giving not just the sense of belonging and acceptance in a group but also creating a differentiation to the ones that are more conventional. “Given that new groups of people have acquired a taste for tattoos, the meanings associated with this form of body modification have changed”.8 Some argue that despite its growing popularity and increasing acceptability in society, tattooing may still “transgress or negate something central about the kind of person demanded by ‘society’ in late capitalism”.9

7. Parry, P. 2006

8. DeMello, 2000.

9. Benson 2000, p.242.

10 Sweetman 2000, p.30.

Sweetman (2000) argues that the reason why body modification attracts so many people is the fact that they are permanent and irreversible. Therefore, he argues, it would be misleading to label contemporary tattoos as a fashionable product in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;supermarket of styleâ&#x20AC;?.10 In a time where self-identity is fluid, tattoos can be considered as attempts to anchor self-identity. The fact that tattoos are permanent, and that it involves a great deal of pain during the process of getting it, and the extensive research generally undertaken before acquiring a tattoo, illustrates that they have a special status as identity markers.

IMAGERY - BRANDING TATTOOS Tattoos in general, promote individual identity. In this sense they are symbols of the market. Products such as brands, are also considered to be potent symbols for identity construction, since they are an expression of customer loyalty. TattooistÂ´s consider that the sphere of tattooing should be kept separate from the commercial sphere. In their opinion the tattoo culture is infused with an ethos of authorship that should be kept separate from the commercial sphere. Nevertheless, the tattoo artists more or less willingly accept their role as service providers for consumers wishing to tattoo brands, but when researching some evidence of branding tattoos in their catalogues, I could not find any example so I had to turn to internet research. The data material that was collected from Internet consists of visual reproductions of brands such as Apple, HarleyDavidson, Nike, Google, IKEA, Vans, VW, Chanel, Coca-Cola, Lacoste, BMW. In some cases, it was not the logotype of the brand that was reproduced but rather a symbol that is inextricably associated with the brand. For example the coke bottle, or PlayStation buttons.

In the 1960s, the American Marketing Association defined a brand “as a distinguishing name and/or symbol (such as logo, trademark, or package design) intended to identify the goods or services of either one seller or group of sellers, and to differentiate those goods or services from those of competitors”.11

11. Aaker 1991, p.7.

For a long time, this dominant conceptualization of what a brand is excluded many market symbols from being conceptualized as brands, simply because they were not considered commercial. For instance, football clubs or rock bands, are not traditionally considered as brands although they often operate under the same market as other “real” brands do and are managed as such. I have recorded a wide variety of examples of tattoos of football clubs and music bands as these types of tattoos are also commercial (see app. 1), as they are well accepted into the tattoo subculture and, therefore they affiliate themselves with like-minded people. However, they are most certainly not that different from those who admire brands such as Apple or Harley-Davidson who also seek membership in the community through their brand tattoos. Cartoon characters are another tattoo motif that is abundantly available when researching into Brand Tattoo. At first this might not be considered as a representation of a brand but rather a symbol of popular culture. However, considering that multi-billion companies such as Disney have created the cartoon characters with a clear commercial interest, these characters can also be considered as representations of a brand. When a brand is launched, it becomes part of the culture and people incorporate the symbol into their lives. For some, this means an inscription of it on the body. “When consumers inscribe brands into their bodies, it is an act of permanent and deliberate brand consumption. Because we consume brands not only for what they do to us but also for what they mean to us”.12

12. Gardner and Levy, 1955

It should also been taken in to consideration that by tattooing brands, consumers take brands to contexts that were not necessarily desired by brand managers. These consumers become “living” advertisement of the brands. However as I mentioned before, this phenomenon should be looked at by brand managers since this representation of loyalty towards the brand really represents that the brand message is so successful that the customer wishes to make that message permanent.

13. Mick and Buhl 1992

“When consumers inscribe brands on their bodies, they do not just buy into the marketing discourse provided by companies. Rather, what is taking place is a personalization of the meaning where the individual frames meanings to fit with life themes and life projects”.13 This suggests that the consumer who acquires a brand tattoo has an intimate and emotional relationship with the brand. Compared to non-commercial tattoo imagery, brand symbols follow certain guidelines imposed by the brand, in this sense the consumer leaves the construction of the meaning of the tattoo to the brand.

BRAND TATTOO AND IDENTITY

14. Hall 1996

“The brands used in body expressions constitute interesting examples since they enter into a relatively permanent display of self-identity, contrary to the more widely received view of identity as constant identification”.14 So why do people get tattoos? In contemporary consumer cultures, the body has become the main focus. To meet society standards of beauty and differentiation, the body is one way of doing this and as such a working piece that can be modified and improved. In this way, the body becomes an expression of self-identity, and the increase of tattoo art is one of the results of this increased interest in the body.

15. Giddens 1991, p.44

Social theorists such as Anthony Giddens (1991, p.44), suggests, â&#x20AC;&#x153;that individual identities are reflexive articulations of imagined biographiesâ&#x20AC;?.15 As such, my personal interpretation of consumer identities is that they are in constant modification, so body expressions can be interpreted as attempts to anchor self-identity in order to obtain some stability in contemporary consumer culture. The same theory could be applied to Brand Tattoos, although in this case it could also be argued that it is not just a matter of self-identity but as a matter of group identification.

BRANDS VS CONSUMERS CONCEPT

Brands, should understand brand tattoos as representations of their customers experiences, feelings and memories. By understanding their motivations and creating a brand model around them, brands can highlight what is important to customers, allowing to better serve your costumers interests, will help to make the right long-term loyalty and growth decision, and also to understand consumer behavior and vision. The measure of success that brands should aspire to in following this concept, should not be just the in number of customers that rush out to tattoo their brand on to their bodies, but by creating consistent and meaningful experiences into their minds.

METHODOLOGY

The research on which this work is based is the outcome of three linked fields of studies, Loyalty, Tattoo Subculture and Branding Theories. The first looks into loyalty as a working concept and is a reflection of people behaviors in society towards brands and products, the research was mainly into books and articles on the subject and its analysis was more textual. The subsidiary fields of study converge, as the main subject of study is Branding Tattoos. In order to gather a deeper understanding on the subject I undertook research into the tattoo subculture through tattoo artists views on commercial tattooing (interviews), personal identity, emotional branding theories, case studies of successful brands, theories on brand-cult and consumer motivation. In order to understand and define the context of study I started the research by observing the tattoo culture in tattoo shops, through out case studies, web research and photographic and video documentation. The initial stage of my project took the form of extensive fieldwork expeditions, where I visited as many tattoo shops as possible, which were mostly located in Camden Town. I started by documenting with photography their tattoo books and as I observed the ambience I also questioned tattooist in their views on branding tattoo. To gather an in-depth understanding of the tattoo subculture and to understand their views on tattoo branding, I immersed myself into the tattoo artists lifestyles. In doing that, I could learn that more or less they have a common daily routine. Tattoo artist usually begin the day by setting up the work space, looking at his agenda to check their appointment for the day, then checking if there is enough supplies (needles, bottles of ink, latex gloves). As the day proceeds customers and potential customers enter the studio to get tattooed, or just to look at the designs. Much of their day is spent not actually giving tattoos but preparing for work (drawing and tracing designs, cleaning equipment, making needle bars, fixing machines, ordering supplies) or talking to potential customers.

During this visits, besides analyzing the social and cultural context of tattoo subculture, I began to notice categories, types, styles of tattoo that could be mapped in order to create a greater understanding of tattoos types. At this point I have started to look into some evidence of brand tattoos in the artists books, and as I introduce the subject of branding tattoos in my interviews, it was very clear that tattooist heavily opposed the use of commercial brand symbols as imagery on tattoos, so the one that have tattooed brands did not kept any photographic record of it. From the start of this project, I intended photography to feature heavily and possibly lead to a solution of my practical work. My first approach towards a possible outcome was to overlap photography and tattoo meaning and creating a book on Tattoo typology. At this point of the research, I had observed sporadic accounts of people who had tattooed brands on their bodies. But through searches in online tattoo communities and by reviewing tattoo books, it was possible to keep track on the development of brand tattoos. The most prominent online tattoo communities such as www.tattodesign.com and www.bmezine.com were meticulously searched for tattoo imagery where brands and the symbols associated with them appear. In order understand the market of tattoo and to understand if there were any statistics on brand tattoo, my research was directed towards statistical analyses. The result of the statistical research was that tattoos have gained increasing prominence in the past decade. The facts were, “The National Geographic News stated in April 2000 that 15% of Americans were tattooed (or approximately 40 million people)”. “A 2006 a study done by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that 24% of Americans between 18 and 50 are tattooed.”16 Tattoo industry has increased in the last few years the figures are an estimated “20,000 + parlors operating in the United States, according to a U.S. News & World Report article, which said, on the average, an establishment is being added in the country every day”. 17 The article ranked tattooing as the “sixth fastest growing retail venture of the 1990s, right behind Internet, paging services, bagels, computer and cellular phone service”.

16. www.borntoride.com

17. www.borntoride.com

18. DeMello, M 2000

Another reason connected with the increase of tattoo figures is the permanent disclosure of celebrities and rock stars tattoos in the media. Consumers tend to follow the trends, and the result is the increase of numbers in the statistics. “I think celebrities with tattoos have helped to mainstream the art. Depending on the celebrity, it also helped tattooing to retain its “rebellious” edge, particularly with hard rockers in years past, and rappers today.”18 It is clear that the tattoo subculture has become mainstream and by analyzing the statistics, it is correct to say that tattoos have become a common expression of self-identity. Whilst reviewing and evaluating the various article on branding, the research came across, a new marketing phenomenon called human billboard, and some examples of a companies that are already promoting tattoo branding as part of their branding communication strategies.

18. www.billythehumanbillboard.com

19. The Guardian, 2003, www.theguardian.co.uk

20. www.wikipedia.org

Human billboards, is a new approach to advertising, companies pay an amount of money to have their brand tattooed into a person body. The first person to have permanent tattoo for advertising purposes was a 22-year-old named Jim Nelson, who in 2003 sold the space on the back of his head to web hosting service for $7,000 dollars, the reaction was that in the first six months after its application, the tattoo drew in 500 new customers for the company. Bill the “Human Bill boarder”18 (see app.2), is another example famous example of this method of advertising, with 6 company logos tattooed into his body. In the research there were others similar examples, The Guardian has published that “The agency, Cunning Stunts, is offering students up to 88.20 pounds a week to wear a corporate logo on their forehead”19 in this case, temporary tattoo. The American brand Ecko® is also promoting his brand through the use of tattoos, with a “Branded for Life” (see app.3) campaign where customers are challenged to get a their brand tattoo that could be downloaded from their web site, the reward is a life-time 20% discount in their stores. In September 2001, a prominent casino online paid Bernard Hopkins $100,000 dollars to wear a temporary tattoo on his back during his championship fight with Félix Trinidad, making him the first athlete to wear a tattoo advertisement during a professional sports event.20

Although this this kind of advertising methods mentioned in the examples have proved to be successful they should be seen more as guerrilla marketing than as emotional brand strategies since the consumers are rewarded with money in order to ink the brand into their skin. The statistical and secondary research proved that as I mentioned before in order to come closer to consumers brands, we should pay attention to their “brand lovers”. For example, Harley-Davidson, is a brand that already paid attention into their costumers motivations, their customers are deeply engaged with the brand to the point that they tattooed their logo into their body without being rewarded. Harley´s customers range now from, “CEOs with midlife crises to a House of Commons librarian to a computer programmers, professional woman and the proverbial accountant, are still known to tattoo the company´s logo onto their skin”. 21 “Retention is for wimps. We measure the percentage of customers who have our name tattooed on one of their body parts”.22 Harley is just one of the examples, Martin Lindstrom (2005) explored the brand-tattoo phenomenon in his 2005 book, “Brand Senses”23 sharing the results of a survey asking which brands people would most want to have tattooed on their arm. The results (see to p. 29).

21. A study by Stakeholder, 2005 cited, Dourado and Blackburn 2005, p. 20

22. A study by Stakeholder, 2005 cited, Harley Davidson Annual Report 2005. 23. Lindstrom, M. 2005.

TOP 10 BRAND TATTOOS

1. (18.9%)

2. (14.8%)

3. (7.7%)

4. (6.6%)

5. (6.1%)

6. (5.6%)

7. (4.6%)

8. (3.1%)

9. (2.6%)

10. (1.5%)

Of course that can be argued that choosing an option in an online questionnaire is one thing, getting inked up is another. So to understand better the statistics I have looked into more information on Brand Tattoo rankings, I have founded that in 2009, a firm called Nicholas Weston24 conducted a survey with 20 tattoo businesses in Melbourne, asking them about the popularity of various brands, the result were: 1. Harley-Davidson 2. Nike 3. AFL 4. Vegemite 5. VB 6. Disney 7. Holden 8. Ford 9. Fox/Alpinestars 10.Triple J At this stage, after analyzing all the statistical results I had came to the conclusion that the most popular brands that people tattooed themselves with share certain qualities. The qualities are, strong appeal, iconic visual image (Nike symbol is a powerful visual marker), and a lifestyle philosophy (Vans is a good examples, as their strategy is to integrate themselves into their customers lifestyles, sponsoring skate and bmx athletes and organizing sports events). Brands that have all these qualities that offer unique experiences, to their customer, and can rely on their long-life loyalty. In the process of gathering visual references of the tattoo subculture, I have set up a blog www.truelovebrands. blogspot.com , for articles and videos for example, TVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shows related to the subject such as, Vice TVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tattoo Age and Miami Ink. The blog works as a diary where I give my point of views on some articles.

24. www.australiantrademarkslawblog.com

In order to cover all areas my research took me into what is considered to be the biggest tattoo convention in the world, The London Tattoo Convention at Tobacco Dock in Wapping. The expansive halls of this converted warehouse have become a “fantasy” realm of tattoo parlours, tattoo museums and supply stores. The convention has received this year more then 20,000 visitors from all parts of the world, looking for beautiful works of art, pounded by a needle into the body. This visit has allowed me to photograph people from all over the world, heavily tattooed.

25. DeMello, M 2000 p.20

As DeMello (2000) mention in her book,“... to be a member of the tattoo community requires more than just getting a tattoo - it involves a commitment to learning about tattoo, to meet other people with tattoos and to living a lifestyle in which tattoos play an important role. Conventions and magazine are important aspects of this commitment for a number of reasons. First, tattoo conventions constitute a space where individuals with a common interest - tattoos come together for a period of time”. 25

VISUALIZING IDEIAS In order to visually represent my research theory I have undertaken visual experimentations through the production of practical work. These experiments where based on design layout exploration first by designing a book based on photographic research and later by starting to design a source book for tattoo meanings. When testing their appropriateness to my research it was clear that I needed to use a different medium to engage my audience. During my research into tattoo subculture, I filmed and photographed the tattoo artist working, so in order to create a more engaging approach, I edited a short film of three and half minutes.

THE MAJOR PROJECT OUTCOME

“EXIT THROUGH THE TATTOO SHOP” SHORT FILM

The objective of the short film is to engage people in the phenomenon of tattooing. The film starts with an interview of the tattoo artist, Titto from Figueira da Foz, Portugal, The film captures his daily life in the shop in the second part, I interviewed Ricardo Correia, a musician and a tattoo enthusiast that explains why tattoos are such a big part of his life and lifestyle. (see app. 4 for Interviews) The film wants the viewer to become not just engaged with tattoos, but also to identify with the boundary between the sacred, non-commercial sphere of tattoo culture, and the profane commercial world of brands. As a visual outcome of my research, I have designed a book with brands ready to be inked into customer’s bodies. The book was printed in tracing paper to make the work of the tattoo artist simple. The customer just have to select the brand design and the tattoo artist just need to trace the design into the part of the body selected.

THE MAJOR PROJECT OUTCOME

ABSOLUTE LOYALTY THE BOOK OF BRANDS™ The analysis of several theories in emotional branding, loyalty and the research into the tattoo subculture led me into a creative output a Book entitled, “Absolute Loyalty, the Book of Brands”. This book is a collection of 170 brands carefully redesigned in outlines and printed in tracing paper. In order to reproduce the original brands perfectly, in the design there is information about color and minimum sizes following the brands guidelines. The book also has important facts and figures on brands. The Brands appointed in the book, were carefully selected from an online survey (65 responses, from 27 of Sept to 20 of October)(see app.5) from Matt Haig book “Brand Royalty- How the World´s Top 100 Brands Thrive & Survive”, CoolBrands® 2011 (see app.6) top 20 brands and Top 100 best global brands by Interbrand.(see app.7) The 50 brands selected in the survey and in Haig´s book are divided in fourteen categories (Innovation, Pioneers, Status, Responsibility, Emotion, Design, Consistency, Advertiser, Distribution, Speed, Evolution and Music) that, in my opinion, reflect the brands product and business in the most effective way. It is inevitable that people will question the choice of brands in this book, why I have selected some brand and not others; the brands of my book were selected not because they are the most profitable, but because they are deeply engaging and meaningful to me and possibly the consumers. My hope is, that this book will bring people and brands together by creating everlasting relations using the most beautiful visual expression of loyalty - Tattoos.

THE MAJOR PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS

ABSOLUTE LOYALTY THE BOOK OF BRANDS™ AUDIENCE Brand Managers, Creative Directors, Customers. TITLE The title is a result of the conceptual development of the project. Absolute Loyalty means a permanent commitment to brands. HOW IT WORKS “Absolute Loyalty” is a work book, a catalogue of brands ready to be tattoed, the customer select their favourite brand and then just need to take it into his favourite tattoo artist.The book also has a Tattoo Index with the best tattoo artist in the world. FORMAT 280x210 mm MATERIALS: Tracing paper The same used by tattoo artist. TYPOGRAPHY News Gothic - Family Designer: Morris Fuller Benton Design date: 1909 Publisher: Bitstream Design owner: Kingsley/ATF

CONCLUSION

“Branding is a people to people business, not a factory to people business.” (Marc Gobé) Being able to create strong and meaningful brands is not an easy task, and as a designer this challenge is a constant part of my daily life. Throughout this project, I researched many theories and methods on how to create successful brands and one of the lessons learned is that brands should have human qualities and emotional values in order to succeed. Brands should let customers to be involved, to touch to give their opinion instead of imposing their brand in a oppressive way, customers do not like to feel that they are forced to make a decision, they will choose the brand because they are emotionally connected. Within my research, I was able to combine two areas of my interests, Branding and Tattoos. Although they are very different, the research of the two subjects converged into Brand tattoos. Brands tattoo became the focus of this work, and by critical analyzing this branding phenomenon, through articles and data on brand tattoos, I now strongly believe that Brands could promote their logo or symbol through tattoos. As I have mentioned in the research some brands are already using this method of promoting loyalty with brand tattoos, for example Ecko®, in this case the brand offers a discount in exchange of the brand tattoo, in my opinion this is wrong the customer should make their decision based in their emotions towards the brand not because there will be something in return. In theory brands should first understand their consumers that already have their brands tattooed, listen to their motivations, understand their commitment and loyalty, and then apply the branding tattoo concept into their brand strategies in order to create everlasting relations with new costumers. The outcome of my project might not appeal to everyone, and may also create some controversy since not everyone has the same opinion or even is confortable enough to get a tattoo, but in my personal point of view this new approach to branding has big potential for future developments, as brands should start looking into new ways or engaging their customers. The next of this project would be to approach brands with this concept, and see their opinions and sugestions.

APPENDIX 1

Music and Football Club Tattoo Photography速web

APPENDIX. 2

The Human Billboard @billythehumanbillboard. blogspot.com

APPENDIX 3 Ecko速 Advertisment Campaign

www.shopecko.com

APPENDIX 4

“EXIT THROUGHT THE TATTOO SHOP”

INTERVIEW 1 Name: Age: Place of Residence: How long have you been a tattoo artist? How do you define your work? Did any customer asked for a brand tattoo? INTERVIEW 2 Name: Age: Place of Residence: Do you consider yourself a loyal person? How many tattoos do you have? Have you ever consider having a brand tattooed?

APPENDIX 5

www.surveymonkey.com (26 of Sep. to 20 of Oct.)

QUESTIONS: 1. Do you consider yourself a loyal person? 2. Please name your favourite brands. (for example:nike, apple, coca-cola) 3. In your opinion which Brands do you consider for each category: 1 Innovation Brands 2 Pioneer Brands 3 Distraction Brands 4 Muscle/Mainstream Brands 5 Distinction Brands 6 Status Brands 7 Responsability Brands 8 Emotion Brands

RESPONSES: Question 1: 64 Responses YES | 90.6% |58 NO |10.9% | 7 Question 2: 64 Responses Apple Question 3: 64 Responses Top 10: Apple Coca-Cola Adidas Google Vans BenÂ´s Jerry Converse H&M Sony Canon

APPENDIX 6 COOLBRAND速 BRAND LISTS FOR BOOK TOP 20 WWW.COOLBRANDS.UK.COM

The CoolBrands速 list has been compiled annually since 2001. Brands do apply or pay to be considered. The CoolBrands are chosen by an Expert Council and thousands of members of the British public who assess each brand bearing in mind the following criteria: style, innovation, originality, authenticity, desirability and uniqueness. The entire process is independently administered by The Centre for Brand Analysis.速 (www.coolbrands.co.uk )

APPENDIX 7 INTERBRAND® BRAND LISTS FOR BOOK TOP 100 WWW.INTERBRAND.COM

INTERBRAND is the world’s leading brand consultancy, specializing in a vast brand services and activities.® (www.interbrand.com)

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Pag. 04 - Tracing Papers Source Photgraphy® Marta Candeias

Pag. 40 - Music / Football Tattoos Source Photgraphy® Google Research: Bands, Football

Pag. 10 - Loyalty ,Ilustration Source Illustration® Marta Candeias

Pag. 41 -Billy human-billboard Source Photgraphy® Google

Pag. 15 - BRANDED BABY Source Photgraphy® ADBUSTERS www.adbusters.org

Pag. 41 -Ecko® Advert Source Photgraphy® Ecko Research: www.shopecko.com

Pag. 20 - Brand Tattoos Source Photgraphy® Google Research: Brand Tattoos

Pag. 43 - Survey Source Monkey Survey and Apple® Photomontage® Marta Candeias

Pag. 22 - Funny Shoes & H&M Source Photgraphy & Photomontage ® Marta Candeias Pag. 24 - Tattoo Artist - London Source Photgraphy® Marta Candeias Pag. 32 - Fig 1, 2, 3 Screen Shots “Exit Trough the Tattoo Shop” Film Source Photgraphy® Marta Candeias Pag. 34 - Tracing Papers 2# Source Photgraphy® Marta Candeias Pag. 37 - Fig 1, 2 Absolute Spreads Absolute Loyalty Book® Source Photgraphy® Marta Candeias

Pag. 44 - CoolBrands® Source Coolbrands 2011 and Apple® Photomontge® Marta Candeias Pag. 45 - Interbrand Source Interbrand 2011 and Apple® Photomontge® Marta Candeias Pag. 47 - Books Source Photgraphy® Marta Candeias

A-Z

A-Z Aaker, David A. (1991). Managing brand equity: Capitalizing on the value of a brand name. New York: Free Press. Arnould, Eric J., and Linda L. Price. (2000). Authenticating acts and authoritative performances: Questing for self and community. In The why of consumption: Contemporary perspectives on consumer motives, goals, and desires, edited by S. Ratneshwar, David Glen Mick, and Cynthia Huffman. London: Routledge. Atkins, Michael, (2003) Tattooed –The sociogenesis of a Body Art, University of Toronto Press Incorporated. Belk, Russell W. (1988). Possessions and the extended self. Journal of Consumer Research 15: 139–68. Benson, Susan. (2000). Inscriptions of the self: Reflections on tattooing and piercing in contemporaryEuro-America. In Written on the body: The tattoo in European and American history, edited by Jane Caplan. Princeton, NJ: Princeton. Clerk, Carol, (2009) Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin Art, Universe Publishing, NY. DeMello, Margo.(2000). Bodies of inscription: A cultural history of the modern tattoo community. London: Duke University Press. Elliott, Richard, and Kritsadarat Wattanasuwan. (1998). Brands as symbolic resources for theconstruction of identity. International Journal of Advertising 17: 131–144. Gobé, Marc, (2001) Emotional Branding: The new paradigm for connecting brands to people, Allworth Press. Gelder, Ken, (1997) The Subcultures Reader, Routledge. Fletcher, George, (1995) Loyalty: An Essay on the Morality of Relationships, Oxford University Press. Giddens, Anthony. 1991. Modernity and self-identity: Self and society in the late modern age. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Gelder, Ken, (1997) The Subcultures Reader, Routledge. Keller, Simon (2007) Limits of Loyalty, Cambridge University Press Davis, Timothy C, (2003) The Rise of Body Art Konvitz, Milton, (1973) ‘Loyalty’ in Philip P. Wiener (Ed), Encyclopedia of the History of Ideas, New York: Scribners, Vol. III, pp. 108-16. Matthew W. Ragas, Bolivar J. Bueno. (2002)The Power of Cult Branding: How 9 Magnetic Brands turned customers into loyal followers (and yours can too!), California, Prima Publishing. McEwen, William, (2006) Married to the Brand: Why Consumers Bond with some Brands for Life, Gallup Press. Mick, David Glen, and Claus Buhl. (1992). A meaning-based model of advertising experiences. Journal of Consumer Research 19: 317–38. Haig, Matt, (2005). Brand Royalty — How the world´s top 100 brands thrive& survive, london,Kogan Page Limited Hall, Stuart. (1996). Introduction: Who needs “identity”? In Questions of Cultural Identity, edited by Stuart Hall and Paul du Gay. London: Sage. Noble, I & R. Bestley (2004) Visual Research – An Introduction to Research Methods for Graphic designers, Worthing, AVA Academia. Poynor, R. (2001) Obey the Giant, London: Berkhauser Royce, Josiah, (1908) Philosophy of Loyalty, Harvard University, The Macmillan Company. Sanders, Clinton & D Angus Vail, (2008) Customizing the Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, U. S. Sweetman, Paul. (2000). Anchoring the (postmodern) self? Body modification, fashion and identity. In Body modification, edited by Mike Featherstone. London: Sage.

Wallendorf, Melanie, and Eric J. Arnould. 1988. “My favorite things”: A cross-cultural inquiry into object attachment, possessiveness, and social linkage. Journal of Consumer Research 14: p. 531–47. Parry, Albert, (2006)Tattoo: Secrets of a Strange Art, Dover Publications Inc. Valentine, Bill, (2000) Gangs and Their Tattoos: Identifying Gangbangers on the Street and in Prison, Paladin Press.

JOURNALS Eye Total Tattoo Inked Prick

WEB SITES http://truelovebrands.blogspot.com (first visited Jule) www.iep.utm.edu/ (first visited June) www.footballfarrago.com/2011/05/football-essays-loyalty-in-football-or. (first visited June) www.nectar.com/NectarHome.nectar (first visited June) www.bible.com/ (first visited June) www.adbusters.org/ (first visited June) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2770689.stm (first visited June) www.bmezine.com (first visited June) www.tattodesign.com (first visited June) www.cultbrand.blogspot.com (first visited June) www.interbrand.com (first visited June) www.borntoride.com (first visited June) www.cult-branding.com (first visited Sep.) www.brandsoftheworld.com (first visited Sep.) www.coolbrands.uk.com (first visited Sep.) http://billythehumanbillboard.blogspot.com www.shopecko.com (first visited June) www.guardian.co.uk (first visited June)

TATTOO RESEARCH www.thelondontattooconvention.com (first visited June) www.tattoo.co.uk/bthm.htm (first visited June) http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/miami-ink/miami- (first visited June) www.getinked.co.uk/criminal-tattoo-history. (first visited June) http://skunxtattoo.com (first visited June)

www.yellowblaze.net (first visited June) www.inkedmag.com (first visited June) www.tattoo.tv/thebuzz/magazines.html (first visited June) www.punk77.co.uk (first visited June) www.hitsvilleuk.com (first visited June) www.ustattoostudios.com (first visited June) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2770689.stm (first visited June) www.tate.org.uk/magazine (first visited June) www.tate.org.uk (first visited June) www.tate.org.uk/research/(first visited June) www.tateresearch/tatepapers (first visited June)

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