May 16, 2008
Quinnipiac students party with Mascola – and 25 brands are invited.
Last week, Mascola Group hosted an entirely different kind of party with Quinnipiac undergraduates – a brand party.
The concept behind a brand party is simple. Whenever large groups of people get together, they instinctively form small groups in which they’re comfortable and have things in common with their companions. So two separate groups were asked to apply this concept to brands. Their goal was to answer this question: at a party, which brands would hang out with one another, and why?
The students were given 5 each of vodka brands, clothing brands, sunglass brands, car brands and celebrity brands (i.e. Oprah Winfrey). They had 15 minutes to mix and match the logos (or celebrity photos) into smaller groups and 30 minutes to explain why they were grouped that way.
The results were very interesting. Here are a few highlights:
- Britney Spears and Toyota were grouped together in the Outcast Brands category.
- Brands you might think college kids like (i.e. Abercrombie & Fitch, Smirnoff) are seen as young and immature.
- Undergraduates tend to associate brands with a masculine or feminine identity.
- Celebrities commanded a strong role in creating their categories. Britney was considered to be a failed brand. Will Smith was revered for his ability to do anything and everything.