Long Version of the Brand Video

[XoXmuffinprincessXoX]

hahahah I'll smell good and they'll sex me hahahaa

[imnotgonapostanyvids]

my english class just read Fahrenheit 541 and now hav to do a project about the influence of media, for some reason my teacher doesnt consider u a credible source but this is atleast a nice starting point.

thanks hank

dftba

[kimrichaaards]

I actually just finished my unit on logos and brands in English before I found this video... Bad timing! YAY

[skarloeyable]

Could you, like, always to a long video and then cut it for vlogbrothers? This was really awesomely long :)

[emvln92]

my family has a guy exchange student staying with us right now. he is IN LOVE with axe. the entire basement is permeated with the smell. they have very interesting slogans...."as irresistible as chocolate"...i think not.

[wootmonster92]

This was the most beautiful thing ever.

[greengirllover]

i WILL SMELL GOOD AND THEY WILL SEX ME..

[JayTigris]

This... is depressing. I mean I know this stuff (not in detail, but generally), but it's still so frustrating to think that no matter what I do, at the end of it stand some big ass corporation that owns more of our daily life than we care to think about.

[HeartAndSoulGirl]

I like this version way better.

[suprspecialawsm]

i love this video. it's a great exposé.

[jinxd009]

I hate Fox News.

[BriIsTheFinestCheese]

there's no pictures!!!!!!!

[seeitscjayy]

of course, a huge corporation doesn't have a conscience. but i'd like to believe that the people a little further down the line of each individual product of a corporation, like the people who work on ad campaigns trying to make women feel beautiful for the dove brand, legitimately care about what they are doing. you know?

[stephhockey12]

we studied media for a bit in my english class, and we touched on the whole dove thing. if you think about it, what is dove trying to sell, really. they make you think they're selling you morals and values, but they are just selling soap.

if you take a closer look at those, "every woman is beautiful", campaigns, you'll notice that every woman, has perfect skin.

so even when you wholeheartedly think they really care, they're still just advertising soap.

[skillysmurf]

the part about national geographic makes me want to cry

[elangworthy]

I like this version better than the one you posted on vlogbrothers, actually... the part about Odwalla versus energy drinks made me laugh. :)

[iceteabeingstirred]

Coca Cola owns nearly, everything here! Our orange juice. Our bottled WATER!

[ceruleancelandine]

Ah, capitalism. DFTBA in the face of hypocrisy, y'all.

[iftba]

Hank, it's not about the conscience the companies pretend to have, but the views we pretend to support as consumers that matter.

Buying the "good" things doesn't mean you're supporting the "bad" things. Otherwise, why doesn't it work the other way around?

[iftba]

Dove = "Why, honey, you look beautiful today! Can you loan me twenty bucks?" *kaching*

Axe = "Say, baby, can I borrow the credit card? I promise we'll get busy later." *kaching*

Where on Earth could Dove and Axe possibly have gotten these money making ideas? I can't imagine. They seemed so sincere ALL ALONG.

[jackeyramone]

Ahh also you forget to mention it was not Rage who organized the upheaval, it was just a couple from London on facebook, Rage where not involved! It was carried out by people like me putting up posters in our college!

[splicegrrl]

wow, what an important reminder and wake-up call. i'm surprised at the info about ben & jerrys. it just goes to show that i've totally bought the branding image they sold me. thanks for pulling back the wool that's been covering my eyes and for posting this extended version.

[zutandmerde]

"'It's love of money, not the market,' he said, 'these fuckers push on you.'"

-Bright Eyes, Light Pollution

[CoolHandJohnny]

preach it, Hank!

seriously, this has disturbed me for a while now. and it seems to be getting worse. with organics "getting popular," huge conglomerations are quietly buying the little guys. which means the same people run it, but now the big companies get a cut.

nothing is safe.

and the music industry is just ridiculous! there are only 4 companies running the whole show!

long live indie labels!!!! (like DFTBA)

[eeks1120]

Actually, ben adn jerry's had no choice but to sell out to the bigger company. Reason being is because the board of directors was noticing a drop in shares or somethign and told the two it would be best to sell in interest of the company. So they did what the board said.

And it was an insanely tough decision for those two to let go of what they built, and they regret it, but they really had no other choice.

[eeks1120]

Actually, ben & jerry's had no choice but to sell out to the bigger company. Reason being is because the board of directors was noticing a drop in shares or somethign and told the two it would be best to sell in interest of the company. So they did what the board said.

And it was an insanely tough decision for those two to let go of what they built, and they regret it, but they really had no other choice.

[monkeyaround92]

hummer is no longer part of GM as of the financial crisis next year. i know this cause my father owned a hummer dealership.

idk, this little fact kind of bothered me. LOVE YA!

DFTBA

[monkeyaround92]

fact correction (sorry! just looked it up): GM sold hummer for $150 million to a Chinese company, but the actual "transfer of property" has not yet occurred, b/c the Chinese govt haven't yet approved it, but it is supposed to be done by the end of the month. I went to an auto show in san fran, and hummer was not featured (from what I saw), so i don't think the branc is taken seriously anymore. I think its also interesting that corporations are now able to lobby politicians with no $ limit.

[octollama]

awesome video, hank.

i'd give it a million stars, but sadly i can't

[LuckyKeelin]

.....I feel so used.....

[purplepanda11]

theres a phillip morris plant in my town and they fired a ton of people. Alot of people had to move

Ben and Jerrys got bought out a couple years ago

they didnt used to be that way.

btw i love Jerry...and Phish for that matter....ya know phish food...yeah thats not just a clever name..

[annatheHPtwerdfightr]

this is so true this is what captialism has done...big evil corporations sucking as all dry thank you for making this video!

[waitingfor2008]

Thanks for vocalizing this. It's something I've always kind of realized but shoved into the back of my consciousness, because it's easier than actually thinking about it. If I thought about it realistically, I wouldn't want to buy anything. Ever. And that doesn't really work.

[honeydukes623]

I'm a vegan and Boca makes some of my favorite foods... I don't know if I can eat it anymore. Thanks for enlightening me.

[trickyfeet]

at 2:17 you sound auto-tuned when you say "there is no"

[crimsong19]

Great expansion of today's Vlogbrothers video, Hank!

[sleepylain]

Oh wow this was really interesting. Thanks for sharing. ^^

[hangingwithNadine]

Freaking companies...

[Cadwaladr]

And that's why I'm a socialist.

[KairaChan226]

Very true...

The problem with trying to combat this is that the alternative to large corporations, small businesses, can't offer the same prices or get as much popularity. I mean, people, myself included, are much more likely to buy a bar of Dove soap than some random Mr. Joe's soap because it is familiar and they know what they're getting. In industries like this, small businesses are all but nonexistent due to the reputation of products brought on by these advertising ploys.

[Tennath]

This was really interesting. It reminds me of how when you pass billboard adverts for casinos, yet there is the number plastered on the bottom for the gambling addiction hotline. There are SO many contradictions in the world, it's really hard to keep up.

Or like how Kraft has Boca Burger but also now owns Cadbury. "Sure, be a vegetarian, but do not deny the milk chocolate goodness"

[LozerNumberW]

I always knew they were up to no good =/

[TheStrangerDied]

This video just reinforced my already strong opinions about branding. I'm not saying that I totally never buy anything that is all against what Nerdfiteria should stand for, but I do make conscious decisions and know what I'm supporting when I purchase things, which is more than a lot of people are doing.

Also, Hank is totally life size on my new computer. <3

[kira902k]

Fascinating. Depressing. Informative. Gah.

[katiepoo66]

Hearing that National Geographic and Fox News could even be uttered in the same SENTENCE is like ruining Christmas for me. Sigh.

[rezurrxtion]

Hank, Kill Bill V.1 was actually way more bloody than Volume 2. But that's besides the point, I get what you're saying.

Really great and informative video, Hank.

[kateribethrose]

I have this strange urge to say; no duh Hank!

Though you are right. We need to be more careful about stuff.

oh, and I didn't know about the oddwalla thing. Nice to know!

[madelineschannel]

My life as I once knew it ceases to exist.

I never exactly tried to boycott corporations (the furthest I've gone is not shopping at wal mort in 2010) but how am I supposed to know what corporation I'm buying from? And how to I avoid certain things (like unilever) without buying from another bigass corporation?

[valerie2776]

do they contradict themselves? very well then they contradict themselves >:)

completely misusing adapted/paraphrased lines from brilliant poets

[renatadevin]

Video

[ukulelly]

It was an absolutely MASSIVE thing, not because of the brand, but because a revolutionary song beat a bland cover to number one.

Plus, it makes me happy when you pronounce McElderry as MAC-el-derry, when it's mc-EL-derry.

[FerreThoughts]

Wow. I wasn't aware of this at all... I must find a list of these pimping companies so I can see where my money is really going.

Thanks.

(Also: YAY MOAR HANK)

[whitefluffyhat]

Hank, where do you get all this information? This video is fascinating!

[eques13]

This is pretty terrifying, actually. Thanks for letting us know :-/

[songsfrompaul]

Just to clarify something:

The UK Christmas Number 1 has *always* been the X Factor winner ever since the X Factor began. The "Rage Against X-Factor" campaign was made up by disgruntled Brits on Facebook who hated how X-Factor had "stolen" part of the UK's quirky Christmas heritage (Christmas number 1 is a BIG DEAL). So the fact that Sony's music was battling itself was kinda accidental, though obviously no bad news for Sony.

Anyways, great video Hank!!

[emoluvistrueluv]

@songsfrompaul Technically it did win. It was the chart topper. Just like Alex Day is trying, once again to beat The X-Factor, but this time as an unsigned person.

[hubertcumberdale2008]

Hank...I bow m head...I know about these corporate lies for ages now and that is why I stoped watching ads entirely....yes...i haven't been watching ads for four years now. For example...we have these two electronic stores in Germany, Media Makrt and Saturn, both are owned by the same corporation, and people don't seem to mind. It is one of the weird habbits of people, to ignore the obvious. Thank you very much for this video.

[CleverestWitch2188]

I'd be interested to find out what... for instance.. store brands are owned by... since you always see people say "Oh it's the same as the name brand... just without the label".

Very insightful, Hank.

[culbrethcow]

you should have gone in to the whole soap opera thing. just saying.

[starchicka46]

Thank you for shedding some light on the subject! THis was very informative.

[ermzgracieisawesome]

There are liberals at my school who complain about Fox News a lot, yet they watch The Simpsons. The money is going the same place! IRONY!

[tunawrangler1]

yeah but the simpsons aren't crazy asshole liars.

[ermzgracieisawesome]

But by watching The Simpsons you're PAYING the asshole lires.

[PaulSaysThings]

i'm writing a paper on stuff similar to this and now i think i have something for the last paragraph i need. yaaay.

[emmetgirl]

thanks for giving us the full version of this video, hank. + for talking about this.

[ChemicalDroid]

it's pronounced Joe "MAC-ELL-DRAY", also, Rage Against the Machine didn't front the campaign, it was started by a couple on facebook. A lot of the money from the single went to Shelter, for the homeless too. But yeah sony were laughing all the way to the bank. The whole corporate thing is depressing, you should watch documentarys on coca cola, its like oh gawd I love you but youre killing the rainforest :(

[ChemicalDroid]

Although hypocritical, can the more postive branding, such as the dove one, can be a small good thing? I mean any campaign that encourages self confidence and good body image cant be all bad, but at the end of the day its all marketing, money makes the world go round as they say.

[recipesfromahat]

very awesome videos. But all that stuff certainly wasn't news to you, right? o.O otherwise.. well.. it's pretty naive to think otherwise. Well, capitalism sucks but this world is so effed up anyway. And, well, there ARE independend small companies who care about stuff. Unfortunately they are small and because they care about stuff their products are quite expensive most of the time...

[MourningStarLucifer]

Yay, more hank! o;

[bekabee24]

What about the little people, though?

Sure Dove and Axe may be owned by the same people, but I feel its wrong to cast a black mark on a brand just because they are owned by a corrupt corporation. How much is that corporation involved in the brand's marketing, its day-to-day activities? And if we boycott these brands, aren't we just hurting the people who manage and work for them? people who are probably actually invested in their brand's mission statement? Would it hurt the corporation at all?

[tteu123]

2:00 I laughed really hard

[781228XX]

I have'nt seen the origial yet. Is it not uploaded yet?

[AdamTheAlien]

I never realized Ben & Jerry's had the indie-hippie image. To me, it's always been a Big Corporation™. I tend to have that image of ANY widespread chain, though. Eventually, that image always tends to become the reality, even if it isn't at first.

I try to stick to local or regional businesses whenever possible.

[vandbg]

NG and Faux News?!

Jesus....

[ChateauOfADoubt]

Thank you so much for bringing up Ben & Jerry's. I worked there for a few years and it pissed me off how they sort of downplayed that fact.

I was aware of a lot of these, but I'm thinking about a lot of the sustainability stuff you're thinking about. I think it is really important to point this out. And then there are the brands who just try to make their product look "green", even if it is just mimicking the packaging of products that actually are.

[MrsJasperHale08]

yay director's cut of vlogbrothers video!

[YamiChippy]

I really have nothing to add, I just feel I have some moral obligation to comment.

I guess the only way to fix the giant companies is to buy them all out under an even BIGGER giant company and then use that gigantic company to take over the world.

That is my plan.

[JoEmily744]

Hmm. Did not know all of this info. I think this would be an interesting topic to research... Sorry, though. My family and I watch FOX. =] I know it's mostly a partisan thing, Democrats and liberals watch CNN while conservative republicans watch FOX, but I have tried to view HNN and ABC news too. I just found FOX seemed to be more honest and fact oriented. I would like to know if I'm missing anything, though. Did FOX do something I'm unaware of?

[ermzgracieisawesome]

@JoEmily744 The Fox News channel is famous for being really right wing and only reporting the news that they choose. But liberal stations do that also...

[JBdaWonderLlama]

It's pronounced, Mic-El-Derry, and axe is called lynx in the UK :D

[TheDoorsRule]

Rage Against the Machine didnt organize it

Fans of the band did...

Hank .. sorry.. but u made a big mistake

[senselesslyuncommon]

It's pronounced Mic-El-Dree! This is awesome although the thing with the Christmas single was more about the TV than the music industry and all the money from Killing in the Name of went to charity. I agree with you although you have to remember a lot of the time between what the consumers sees and what the highest paid CEOs gets, a lot of the time there are hundreds real people who really believe in the good of the brand they're selling!

[time2live09]

that is a sad yet very true statement! this was very interesting....yet very discouraging! lol

[tiedye725]

I love how i can get a 5 min hank video and no follow up punishment!

DFTBA

[swatkins246]

well put hank. nice video

[SakuraHirot87]

My mother has worked a vast array of jobs, so I've known for a very long time about how there are parent companies and they spread themselves out to hit every demo. It's very hard to find a place that is not in some way connected to another unsavory place.... it makes the burden of knowing about these things all that much harder.

[gomerth9]

Ben and Jerry's was just taken over recently :( The two founders didn't have a choice--it was really sad

[clouddyl]

I didn't know about some of these, its a pretty interesting subject^^

[Jessielou1848]

I saw this and was pretty excited because I thought this was on vlogbrothers and Maureen would get to punish you. I was wrong.

[AdamTheAlien]

Mwahaha! I'm watching the director's cut of the video FIRST! MWAHAHAHAHA!

[raidonthestadiar]

Can you just kind of cheat and put a montage somewhere in the middle? 'Cause that was all very good.

[TheMattieBoosh]

Yey pre vlogbro's xD

[cantanstrophe]

Lolsage. Awsome that we're finally getting pre-vlogbrothers content.