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As ever, a long time since posts... Just spent a few weeks in the philippines, which served not only as a family holiday but also a valuable research trip. One of the most striking visual aspects that I noticed was the globally marketed brands who manifest themselves among the poor/disenfrachised/proletariat. I had always assumed that the Coke's of this world strived to capture the young beautiul affluent of this world who could afford a bottle of coke every now and then. yet the sneaky tactics appear to involve pasting their brands on meaningless unspecific plastic banners and posters, which are then distributed in their million among every rural, shanty and impoverished area. Small indistinct plastic posters then appear everywhere, utilised as waterproofing, decoration, roofing, flooring, clothing- everything in fact that would once have been the domain of ply wood, banana leaves or palm weave- any natural material that bore no marketable use. Now the country is covered by a few brands- San Miguel and Coca Cola stick in mind- thanks to millions and millions of durable plastic posters.

Indeed, the branding is so visible, so omnipresent, that some locals have even taken to decorating their own trucks, houses and shop fronts with hand painted naive-art imitations of famous brands, because they are aware of the prestige, association and values that these generic icons instill in people.

The way to a nations heart and mind- however fucked they are- is through branding and marketeering. I don't hold the globo corps necessarily responsible for this (although how many posters would proliferate if printed on recyclable bio-degradable materials!) but am amazed at the human being's capacity to consume marketed product inspite of hunger, homelessness and poverty.