Why Do People Advertise for Somebody Else (for free)

That is the question. Why do people pay to advertise for someone else? I asked myself this question while I was walking in the mall and passed one of those retailers whose name I see emblazoned on shirts and hoodies. This merchant, and others like them, put their names on merchandise then sells it to customers who proudly wear them. I am talking about retailers like The GAP, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Aeropostale. The thing that gets me is that not only do people wear these logoed apparel, but they pay extra to get them. Hoodies, shirts, caps, sweaters, and jackets that are bear the name of the store cost more than those that do not.

            This thought might not have ever came to me had I not heard someone else bring it up first. I believe he was offered a shirt bearing somebody’s logo (I forget) and he said he didn’t advertise for anyone without getting paid for it.  The irony is that not only are people who wear these logoed apparel not getting paid for it, they are actually paying for the privilege to advertise for the retailer.

            Perhaps this is the next generation of name brand loyalty. Back in my day, people paid more for the privilege of wearing Guess or Levi jeans or Nike shoes. Perhaps store are merely capitalizing on the public’s ability to identify with a name, either a brand name or a store name. Before it was IZOD and Polo now it’s Eddie Bauer and The North Face.

            I can understand people wearing apparel that bore the logo of a nonprofit organization. I could see people wearing apparel that identified then with a sports team (after all, sports loyalty is a strong thing). I can even see people wearing stuff that had the name, logo, or mascot of a university of which there are an alumnus. I just can understand why people would pay to wear stuff that connects them to a store brand, especially if it isn’t free. Free is a different story.

            Why do I say that wearing a jacket or sweater that bears a store’s logo advertising? Because it is advertising. What is the purpose of advertising? It is to get your name or the name of your products before as many people as possible to entice them to do something, either support your or buy your product. When people wear clothes with a store’s name on it, they become a walking billboard for that store (and companies/stores usually have to pay for billboards). Unless the wearing got the clothing for free, they are paying for the privilege of being an unpaid ad for the store.

            So, again I ask the question: why do people pay, sometimes excessively, to advertise for someone else?