Lecture 9 - Commodity Fetish Flashcards
What is the commodity fetishism
-The way commodities have this normalised value in of itself –
Objective value.
-The social character of their making (the labour and time relationship) is completely absent of the product
-As such we’d say it has ‘phantom objectivity’ (Watts, 2005 p100-1)
What theory is commodity fetishism associated with
‘Lifting the veil of production’ (Harvey, 1990)
How is the commodity fetishism a critical projection of ‘lifting the veil of production’ (Harvey, 1990)
- Removes all the things that get in the way os us knowing the relationship the product has to the making and makers
- Aka the ‘truth’
What is removed when we look at commodity fetishism under the veil of production
We remove the brand and associated things with the product
How do we ‘follow’ our commodity and theorise its value
Look at the history behind it - the chain to how it became to be the item it is today
What do websites do in finding the geographical life of a product
Original sales websites wont tell you much about where they came from – brands provide information that focus on consumption not production
How can we look at what the public thinks is ethical
By looking at Public Codes of Practice Commitments and
Reasonable Levels of ‘Transparency’
Examples of public codes of transparency
- No child labour
- Health and safety in working conditions
- No discrimination
- No forced labour
Issue with websites listing factories
They show factories where they are made (but not just the factories, we need information on the other areas before the factories)
What is found when we try and look at following the geographical histories of commodities
- The information is not all in one place
- Time
- Information tends to be hidden
How is a commodities value not ‘one truth’
Cultural and symbolic value + the meanings embedded within it
What are the 2 logics that underpin ‘value’
Production + consumption
‘Production’ as a logic of ‘value’
-Best labour/time relation for the gaining profit
What locations attract the most investment
Locations that offer the cheapest, fastest production and speed to the market
What can subcontracting do
Complicate the CC process
‘Consumption’ as a logic of ‘value’
What the brand represents/means
What does branding and marketing do to a product
Add ‘consumption’ value
How can we make items have more ‘production’ value
Make efficiently and cost effectively / cheaply / quickly as possible
How can we make items have more ‘consumption’ value
Make a brand that consumers buy into, that has cultural and symbolic value
What is required for a valuable brand (quote)
Careful coordination of packaging,
promotion, advertising, brand and product positioning, distribution, pricing etc. (Till and Heckler, 2008)
How did Goss talk about built environments as a part of building a bran
‘Magic of the Mall’
Who talked about the ‘Magic of the Mall’ (1993)
Goss (1993)
What is the ‘Magic of the Mall’
- Space that encourages buying
- Creates moods
- Uncomfortable benches and surveillance
Who talks about luxury fashion space
Crewe (2015)
What does Crewe (2015) talk about
How luxury stores create artistic and sophisticated moods
Who talks about the sex product retail industry
Martin 2014
Sex product retail industry
- Male sex shops: secretive
- Female sex shops: boutiques, high street, coloured, light
How can a brand expand beyond the sphere of strict ‘selling’
- Brands sponsor events
- Promote certain lifestyles
- Product placement
Co-dependent contradictions of ‘value’
E.g.. How can a brand maintain it’s luxury and prestigious
brand aura, whilst simultaneously pursue the most cost-
efficient/cheapest options of labour/time relations
(sourcing)?
Who was Ian Cook
A cultural and economic geographer
Name of a cultural and economic geographer
Ian Cook (2004)
What did Ian Cook argue
‘That there are many different and partial stories associated with the commodity’s journey’ - gives voice to those areas in production that are often over looked within the commodity chain
Real world following example
The Rana Plaza Collapse
When was the Rana Plaza Collapse
2013
Where was the Rana Plaza Collapse
Bangladesh
How many people died in the Rana Plaza Collapse
1,135 people
What does the Rana Plaza Collapse highlight
The human costs of using the cheapest and fastest production model
Media of the Rana Plaza Collapse
Lots of media attention - people were concerned their favourite brands were unethical
Rana Plaza Collapse - brands associated
Labels found: Primark, Mango, Matalan
Rana Plaza Collapse - did the associated brands know
They didn’t know due to extensive subcontracting
‘Place’ as a brand value - how
- Draws attention to the provenance of the product
- Higher value/premium brands use ‘place-image’
‘Place’ as a brand value - example
Milan – fashion capital, Prada etc.
Transparency of place
It is not transparent but imagined
Pike (2015)
‘Conceptualises and theorises how, why, by whom, where and in what ways geographical associations are deployed selectively by brand and branding actors to create and fix meaning and value in branded goods and services commodities in the times and spaces of market settings’
‘Conceptualises and theorises how, why, by whom, where and in what ways geographical associations are deployed selectively by brand and branding actors to create and fix meaning and value in branded goods and services commodities in the times and spaces of market settings’
Pike (2015)
Example of place and value behind a product
Dr Martens
Dr Martens - expectations / views
Alternative, youth, edgy, English
Dr Martens - reality
- Formed 1901 by a family
- ‘Revolutionary’ footwear
- Punk rockers
- Rebellious
- Fails to mention history
Dr Martens - when did they move production abroad
2002 (headquarters still in UK)
Dr Martens - % offshore production
98%
Dr Martens - how many made in the UK
2011- 2% of the total 3.8 million pairs of the production was made in the UK
Yet still calls itself a British brand
