How Everything Around You Is Designed to Sell
From the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep, we exist in a world not just designed for function but for persuasion. Every street we walk down, every object we interact with, and even our digital spaces are saturated with branding, marketing, and corporate influence.
We don’t even notice it anymore—it’s just “normal.” But this normalization has profound effects on how we think, what we value, and how we interact with the world.
A Day in the Life of Branding: A Short Story
You wake up to the sound of your iPhone alarm—the screen flashes with notifications from Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Even before getting out of bed, you’re being influenced.
You stretch, yawn, and grab your Starbucks travel mug because you saw an influencer raving about their new limited edition flavor. You check your emails and see an ad from Nike offering “exclusive access” to a new sneaker drop.
On your way to work, you drive past billboards—McDonald’s tells you “I’m Lovin’ It”, Coca-Cola invites you to “Open Happiness,” and a massive poster of a celebrity wearing Gucci reminds you that you’re not stylish enough.
At lunch, you step into a Tesco Express, greeted by rows of branded packaging—Doritos, Heinz, Pepsi, Nestlé. You don’t even think, your hand automatically reaches for what’s familiar.
Scrolling through Instagram, you see an influencer promoting a protein shake—she doesn’t even drink it, but she’s been paid to convince you that you should.
By the end of the day, you’re exhausted. You order a Domino’s pizza, settle into your couch, and watch Netflix—another platform filled with product placements and algorithm-driven recommendations.
It’s been just another day, but in reality, you’ve been bombarded with thousands of subtle nudges, brand reinforcements, and subconscious manipulations.
Growing Up in a Branded World
Imagine a child born today. By the age of three, they recognize hundreds of brand logos—McDonald’s, Disney, Lego, Coca-Cola.
By the time they reach teenage years, they are deeply influenced by branding:
McDonald’s is more than just food—it’s a social experience and childhood nostalgia.
Nike isn’t just a sneaker—it’s a symbol of being athletic, trendy, and successful.
Disney isn’t just entertainment—it’s magic, happiness, and dreams.
By adulthood, most people don’t think of purchases in terms of function anymore. Instead of saying, “I need a reliable car,” they say, “I want a BMW.” Instead of looking for nutritious sausages, they say, “I always buy Richmond sausages.”
This isn’t an accident. It’s by design.
Branding & The Psychological Manipulation of Choice
Brands aren’t just names; they are mental shortcuts that shape our behavior. And they do this at a subconscious level.
Color Psychology: Fast-food brands use red and yellow because they stimulate hunger and excitement. Luxury brands use black and gold to create a sense of prestige. Blue is associated with trust, which is why most banks and tech companies use it (think Facebook, PayPal, Twitter).
The Mere Exposure Effect: The more you see a brand, the more familiar and trustworthy it feels. This is why Coke and Pepsi battle for advertising supremacy—not because they have the best soda, but because the more you see their logos, the more likely you are to buy them.
Status & Identity: People wear brands like Nike, Gucci, or Rolex not just because they like the product, but because it signals something about their identity.
Interesting Fact:
A blind taste test conducted by Baylor University found that when people were given Coke and Pepsi in unmarked cups, most preferred Pepsi. But when they saw the Coca-Cola label, their brain activity changed, and they suddenly believed Coca-Cola tasted better.
This proves that branding can literally change how we perceive reality.
The Physical World as a Landscape of Advertising
Look around you. Nearly everything you interact with has been monetized and branded.
1. The Streets We Walk On
Governments maintain roads and sidewalks using tax revenue, but everything surrounding them is privately owned.
Billboards, store signs, posters, and even public benches are branded.
Every bus, taxi, and train is covered in advertisements, turning public spaces into corporate real estate.
2. Packaging & Shopping
In the past, people carried goods in neutral containers—wooden baskets, cloth bags, or glass jars. Today, every grocery bag is free advertising for a company.
When you walk through a shopping mall, you see thousands of walking billboards—people wearing Nike, Adidas, Prada, and H&M.
3. Transportation
You aren’t just driving a car; you’re “driving a Tesla,” a “Ford,” or a “BMW.”
Every gas station, mechanic, and dealership is an extension of a corporate marketing strategy.
It has become impossible to escape branding. Even food and clothing—our most basic human needs—have been turned into status symbols.
The Digital World: The Ultimate Advertisement Space
If the physical world is saturated with branding, the digital world is even worse.
Social Media as a Marketplace – Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook have transformed into corporate battlefields, where influencers act as unpaid brand ambassadors.
Google Search Results Are Not Neutral – When you Google something, you aren’t getting the “best” answer; you’re getting the answer that paid the most to be seen.
Your Data Is Being Sold – Even if you aren’t buying something, you are the product. Facebook and Google track your habits, build psychological profiles, and sell your data to advertisers who then customize ads to manipulate you further.
Interesting Stat:
The average person sees between 6,000 and 10,000 advertisements every single day—and that number keeps rising.
How Fiat Currency & Low Interest Rates Create Corporate Dominance
Why do massive corporations dominate while small businesses struggle? The answer lies in the financial system itself.
Governments print money out of thin air, which causes inflation.
Who benefits? Large corporations, because they can borrow huge amounts of money at low-interest rates.
Who suffers? Small businesses and workers, because their savings lose value, and they can’t compete.
This is why:
McDonald’s, Walmart, and Amazon can borrow billions to expand aggressively.
Small family businesses don’t have access to this cheap credit, so they can’t compete.
Local businesses die, and cities become homogenized clones, where everywhere looks the same.
Final Thoughts: Can We Escape This?
Breaking free is extremely difficult. The modern world is built around corporate influence, and opting out would require:
Producing your own food and goods.
Avoiding mainstream media and advertising.
Rejecting digital convenience (Google, Amazon, Facebook, etc.).
However, awareness is the first step. Recognizing these patterns allows us to:
Make more conscious decisions.
Support small businesses and local communities.
Reduce unnecessary consumption.
Final Question:
Are you truly making your own choices—or have brands already decided for you?