This may already be obvious, but most people realize that their everday lives are infiltrated by superbrands but to what extent? Are we aware that everything we wear comes from a corporation? Do we see that a lot of the food we buy and that nourishes our bodies is made from a big factory somewhere?
A three-episode series, Secrets of the Superbrands, hosted by Alex Riley, comically explores the mega corporations and their secret hold on the world, influencing us from food to fashion to technology. Riley is the perfect host for the series– casual and funny but at the same time, curious and driven to finding out more about these companies. From Starbucks to Apple, Riley explores the powers and the control the superbrands have on people, but also, and perhaps more importantly, peoples’ reactions and relationships to these brands. In all three episodes, there’s a part in which people go under an MRI machine and images flash on a screen while the machine reads their brain activity, which is then interpreted; the results are pretty astounding, I must say.
What I really like about the series is that neither Riley nor the show tries to impose a certain thought about the superbrands, even after their findings. Even after the bizarre seemingly ritual that takes place upon Mac store openings that involve massive crowds and immense cheering from store employees, it’s up to the audience to think about it (ie. What a bunch of lunatics Mac lovers are).
Alex (left) investigating at the Adidas store
aaron's random musings 