Oh
the Pandora bracelet phenomenon... People spend hundreds of dollars
on these bracelets, purchasing a new charm for every occasion in
order to eventually fill the band with overpriced charms. Pandora has
definitely made a name for themselves. These bracelets are no longer
just charm bracelets, but Pandora bracelets. This company has
successfully been able to distinguish itself from other charm
bracelets within the jewelry market. I can guarantee that every
women, and probably most men, know what these bracelets are and how
much their market value is. This company is truly a jewelry market
success story.Pandora has not only dominated the charm bracelet market, but they have become a representation of status. It is a bracelet that has been able to divide the populous into those who own a bracelet and those who do not. Since the majority of individuals are aware of the value of these bracelets, those who own Pandora bracelets are seen as affluent individuals because they can afford to spend a large amount of money on a single piece of jewelry. If these two groups are analyzed more closely, those who own a Pandora bracelet are further divided by the number of charms they have on the band. The more charms they have, the even more affluent and wealthy they appear.
This relates back to Dustin Kidd's Harry Potter and the Functions of Popular Culture, where he states that one of the functions of popular culture is to create social boundaries. Pandora bracelets are a part of our current popular culture, and it definitely creates social stratification within society which I had suggested above. People buy these products in order to gain status. It is the persona that comes with the particular product that draws individuals towards it, not necessarily the product itself. Advertising has made consumers believe that buying a particular product will provide them with a higher power. They make you believe that you are nothing or you will amount to nothing without the particular item. Maybe these bracelets will make me as beautiful as the women used within their ads? Or maybe I will have countless romantic encounters such as the commercial suggests?
Push advertising definitely makes you feel like you are buying a lot more then a product doesn't it?
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