I know the jingle to an Alka-Seltzer commercial I've never seen or heard. I also know jingles for Fritos, Salem cigarettes, Coca-Cola and Hershey's chocolate that were aired during the '60s and '70s, decades before I was born. Those jingles were such effective advertisements that my parents, who watched and heard them as children, sang them so habitually during my childhood that they became just as embedded in my memory as the ones I watched myself. I never see or hear about Alka-Seltzer without mentally singing, "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh, what a relief it is" and thinking of the accompanying "old school" vibe of the jingle. Most people assume corporate identity media doesn't affect them, myself included, until I remember that I know jingles to commercials I've never even seen. Corporate identity and branding plants ideas in the minds of potential consumers, so that anyone using that brand or identity automatically makes certain associations and experiences specific emotions. Brands and logos invade our minds unconsciously, their meanings filed away for later use. Simple words and phrases such as "apple," "just do it" and "raising the bar" have taken on entirely new meanings. The first corresponding thought is no longer "fruit" or "command," but a company - one that carries with it a specific spattering of images and associations that are no longer possible to separate or escape. This is precisely the goal of corporate identity, and has proven vastly successful. Even more so because it's so insidious; most of us deny that we are affected by branding that lowers our guard and leaves us vulnerable to manipulation. But we are branded from the crib with our first set of Disney Pampers. It is virtually incomprehensible to imagine American life without corporate identity and advertising. Anyone seeking our attention knows they only need to choose the right logo, the right image and the right idea to spark instant recall or to evoke specific emotions. What's most disturbing is that we experience such manipulation from fellow students. As you can see on campus this week, many of the more organized campaigns for Associated Students are blatantly ripping off logos and slogans to promote themselves for election. There are campaign-advertising boards using Cingular, the Chargers, the symbol for the popular comic and movie "V for Vendetta" and the more specific brand of "America." Why are candidates doing this? First we must recognize that this is illegal because it implies an association or endorsement by the company - which we all know these students do not have - so this trademark violation makes these students subject to civil lawsuits. The candidates' motives for risking such consequences are far from genuine. They are attempting to tap into the power of branding - banking on the hope that those of us who feel the patriotic compulsion to exercise our right to vote also feel the college student's apathetic inclinations, and thus will never investigate a single one of the candidate stands. Candidates hope we'll open WebPortal sometime this week and, maybe without realizing it, think "I have Cingular, I'll vote for her" or "I like sports, I'll vote for him." You're not electing a person, you're electing a brand, a logo - the simplest of caricatures. Not only should students rebel against this unabashed mental manipulation, but San Diego State should refuse to allow campaign advertising that includes trademarked logos or phrases. It deceives students, exploits already embedded branding efforts and makes candidates vulnerable to potential lawsuits, regardless of the deliberateness of their flagrant violations. It makes the campus vulnerable, too, because of its complicity in the process and refusal to address the problem. Perhaps if candidates couldn't take the easy route, their campaigns might actually be creative. Who knows, the whole process could become interesting.
-Ruthie Kelly is a journalism junior and a staff columnist.
-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed - include your full name, major and year in school.
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