The psychology of stuff: why people get attached to branded objects

Branded objects are handed out as client gifts, at trade shows, to new hires and at dinners, or sold, like the products that Displaay makes from its own typefaces. Some of those objects, from caps and totes to bottles and notebooks, become part of someone’s daily life, while others are quickly forgotten. Below, we are asking what makes the difference. “I think merch is above all a sign of belonging,” explains Frédéric Jonsson from Merchery, a global company that turns identities into physical objects for brands, studios and events. “When you wear a cap from your local bar, you’re showing everyone that you’re part of that place’s world. It’s not that different from buying a t-shirt from your favourite band; you want people to know you’re a part of this community.” Marina Willer of Pentagram sees the same sense of belonging behind yoga practice Love Supreme, whose brand makes people “want to feel connected.” She recalls consistently seeing the branded bottles they designed in cafés and with people in different areas of London. “90% of people who buy our stuff are other designers and enthusiasts of what we do in type,” adds Andrea Vacovská, Graphic Designer at Displaay. “Probably people who feel about it the same way we do.” Vacovská has “always collected books, objects, clothes or even just flyers, no matter how valuable they were in price.” For the designer, an object “has to catch your heart somehow.” Jonsson loves the matchbooks that Smörgåsbord Studio designed as part of its work for two hotels, which Creative Director Dylan Griffith counts among his favourite pieces of work. His choice surprised Jonsson a little, given that “it’s such a small object.” People, Jonsson notes, “take them out of the hotel room, and it just becomes this little thing you didn’t mean to keep but did.” For the things companies hand out, Jonsson finds that keeping “comes down to the product, the design and how they feel about the brand,” and that Merchery’s part is “making sure the branding feels like it belongs on the object rather than just being put on there afterwards.”