Are brands losing their souls?

Ah Ah Ah I caught you with a small smirk right there! Saw something which was in the dusty old corner of your brain sidelined by the sea of brands coming up almost every single day? The memories of running with 10 cents in our pockets to the nearest grocery shop just to indulge ourself in the selection of chocolates and toffees. Buying a Cadbury was a thing of celebration, while Dove was reserved for someone who took care of her/his skin(mostly her though, it was decades ago! Who we kidding! Skincare routine for men was a thing unknown back then). All the “cool” boys riding on their rusty motorcycles with a Marlboro hanging at the corner of the mouth, singing loudly and making merry. Oh the days..
Very recently while wandering through a rather expensive shopping complex in the Netherlands, this thought bubble popped up out of nowhere and got me thinking long and hard. I had the opportunity, by god’s grace enough money, and plethora of brands to choose from but inspite of that, why am i not getting happy? Why is this so called “Retail-therapy” not working for me! I freaked out and felt sad for a second, afterall we do tend to spend wads of cash these days the minute we step out of the house. But why is the process not as exciting as it used to be once? I remember even buying a simple pen was a thing we used to look forward to, but now we go in with the approach inclined more towards the “I’ll buy it because I need to” rather than “I’m going to buy this because I abso-freaking-luetly love it!” Where’s it going haywire then? Where is the void which is leaking our enthusiasm and excitement out ? Are the brands doing something wrong? Is the human nature dismissing shopping once and for all? Is shopping simply becoming a necessity now? Are we in a serious deficit of creativity?Who and what are the culprits here?
As these thoughts clouded my mind and I eventually returned without buying anything, (Oh the testimony to my statement) I realised something which probably everyone is thinking as well but I was late to the race, so..
The brands are simply not as they used…

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