Abstract:

This paper will discuss the relationship between brands and spaces. As advertisers struggle to capture consumers’ attention from traditional advertising campaigns, advertisers have begun relying more heavily on brands to engage the consumer with experiences. These brands have made their way into the public and private spaces where citizens live. This paper will attempt to answer the following question, to what extent can spaces be branded? This question is becoming increasingly more important to understand as the consumer society continues to grow rapidly around the globe. The paper will dive deeper into the impacts of advertising in public spaces.

Furthermore, the paper will look at how spaces are used as advertising platforms where brands can entangle themselves into the daily experiences of consumers. Beyond real private and public spaces, the paper will briefly discuss the issues surrounding digital space and physical space. By looking at recent research regarding advertising in public and private spaces, brand experiences, and socio-political issues in advertising, this paper will give the reader reasons to care about the cultural dimensions of advertising. This infiltration of brands, and more generally capitalism is a topic concerning all spaces. On either ends of the scale this is relevant; from the micro spaces of the home, to the macro spaces of the globe. As spaces continue to fill with brands, societies ability to disconnect from consumer society will become increasingly complex, leaving little space for raw culture and natural social engagement to occur. From the political paradigm, public spaces become consumer spaces as brands entangle themselves into the fabric of daily life. From the social side, private spaces are altered to highlight brands and consumerism in life. Lastly, the cultural concern is that the expansion of branded spaces directly compresses public space where authentic culture is curated. This paper will summarize capital space and global consumption while giving the reader an opportunity to understand what influences the space they engage with daily.