Name: Mark
Age: 45
Works for: Software company
Lives in: London, but we found him in SF
Last thing watched / read / listened to / seen: Independence Day: Resurgence (he watched it on the plane to SF)
How was it?
It is always difficult when you watch it on a plane, but it was pretty good
Major News Source: Online, BBC website
Brands on the Street:
- Barker
- Jaeger-LeCoultre
- Superdry
- Levi’s
- BOSS
Why these brands?
I would not say I am passionate or loyal about any of these brands. Brand is important to me, but I do go for style and feel, you know.
I don’t consistently buy any one brand. At the moment I buy a lot of Superdry, in the past I have bought a lot of BOSS. It just changes. It is “where am I, what am I doing”. If I am at the airport and there is a BOSS store, I will buy BOSS, you know. If I am in the US, Union Square, San Fran, I will walk around.
Impact on Society By These Brand or Others
Don’t really know about the stuff I am wearing but I don’t not buy Nike cross trainers due to the sweat shops they used to have in the Philippines (I am not even sure if that is still an issue). It is not clear to me…there is not enough press about key brands to make any real decision.
(from what we know here at BotS, Nike is out of the sweat shop game, though we don’t know for sure. It does, however serve to teach brands of the lasting effect of cutting corners when it comes to humane practices)
As I said, I wouldn’t not buy something unless it was totally horrific.
Would you switch to a brand that was just as good but that offered more shared value?
Well, there are many tech brands such as Salesforce that give back to the community. I work at SAP and we do the same. We want to help the world run better so yeah, I think it is an important aspect but, “would I buy a product due to an altruistic aspect?”…probably not.
Tom’s shoes are great shoes and competitively priced, that is a driver, but I am more driven by the style, comfort and value over any altruism.
Aside from purchasing decisions, is there any way you personally try to do good in the world?
My daughter donates time, I donate money every month.