Photo Credit: TheNHBushman.com
It hasn’t been a super prevalent trend or anything, but I’ve seen on more than one occasion the last few months of brands creating videos which highlight their production process. Now I’m not talking the artisan way in which you have a 65 year old delightful Grandma-like figure who happily producing knitwear. I’m talking a trip overseas into a factory showcasing Asian people slaving over machines (I’m quasi-kidding about slaving). I personally have no issue with it all. The people that are working there surely don’t make as much as the average Westerner and may have a more difficult work schedule, but more than ever unskilled workers have had a lot of power in China cause of the country’s penchant for cheap manufacturing and a huge demand. But I’m just wondering what’s the public’s general perception?
Here are two videos that inspired this post. Both are well-shot and definitely ensure a factory setting isn’t highlighted.
WeSC Denim
Native shoes
We’re in a time where many parts of the world are struggling and traditional production hubs have lost a lot of business to overseas production. Does showing a video of that Chinese person in that factory in Donguan making your shoes help fortify your brand’s image? Does it enhance the brand’s identity as being honest? Does it make you want to buy into the brand more?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure many people that purchase relatively mainstream products are fully aware that their products are produced overseas and its this very production paradigm that brings their products to market at relatively affordable prices. But some things I wonder?
Does the GENERAL population still believe in sweat shops?
Are people over the 90s kick of Nike and sweatshops? Albeit some factories are probably pretty shady due to outsourcing. If some are ignorant, should you even potentially test this angle?
Does romanticizing the aforementioned quasi-sweat shop worker create a meaningful story?
Even if the product is made 10,000 miles oversees by somebody that I can’t relate to, doesn’t speak my language and stole the job of my fellow countrymen, does it affect my relationship to the brand? Maybe it offers something educational which creates an indeterminate value as brands show how my product is made.
Of course only the countries with the best factories are even contemplating showing their process. I’m sure brands that do this are weary of the issues and their videos are meant to be more ABOUT the process and not about the location. But I can’t imagine if production moves southwards to other parts of Southeast Asia and Africa where the manufacturing infrastructure just isn’t up to par just yet. At least China has pretty much dialed it in and has it set up a bit better than less established areas.
From my personal view point and if I was a brand, I wouldn’t risk it. Too many potential places to back fire. It’s not so much that you work with a factory that treats their workers right, it’s that you are dealing with a large group of potentially disgruntled individuals that may not only play a (wrong) sweat shop card but also the whole non-domestic production angle. Yes it has been beneficial for companies to work overseas, but sometimes, the run-up to the production of the product isn’t worth highlighting.
-Eugene