I am a Yognau(gh)t and the Yogscast is my Lovemark

I am still not certain if I completely I understand what a lovemark is. Please don’t get me wrong, I realize that a lovemark is a brand which has “loyalty beyond reason”, where the average consumer feels an emotional or spiritual connection. In short, a lovemark is a product that is more than a product; however, I am not there is a brand in my life where I feel this type of ideology.

In class I brought up how perhaps The Yogscast [pronounced: yogs-cast] could be my lovemark. Let me explain, The Yogscast is a group of producers of highly successful videos and podcasts, generally about video games; however, in recent years the material this group covers has evolved. The crew of The Yogscast includes: Lewis Brindley and Simon Lane, Hannah Rutherford and Duncan Jones, Joakim Hellstrand and Liam MacKay, Paul Sykes and Chris Lovasz, Martyn Littlewood and Toby Cottrell (not technically a Yogscast member, but he teams up with and is featured in Martyn’s videos). Other staff members include Steven Goates, Alex Parvis, Sam Thorne, Anya Ferris and a man by the username of “Sparkles*”.

So, how is The Yogscast a brand? Well the company started with two individuals, Lewis and Simon, and evolved to include the other individuals I listed. As a whole The Yogscast have several brand-like entities:

1.       A label, a title, a name: The Yogscast
2.       A website: https://yogscast.com/
        a.       A forum where” Yognauts/Yognaughts” (people who are fans of Lewis or Simon) can create an account and discuss The Yogscast.
        b.      A directory to Yogscast comics
3.       A main Youtube account
4.       A Podcast, the YogPod, on iTunes
5.       Two official Facebook pages [1, 2]
6.       A Twitter
7.       A Wikia, Yogwiki
8.       An office building, referred to as the YogTowers
9.       A store where individuals can buy shirts, hoodies, and button badges.
        a.       Yogscast Gear UK
        b.      Yogscast Gear EU
        c.       Yogscast Gear USA
        d.      Minecraft Gear
10.   Finally, The Yogscast is working on producing a video game, Yogentures. Link to YouTube Kickstarter video.

Do you have a lovemark? What is it and why are you devoted to it? In short, I believe I have a lovemark, which is The Yogscast. I started watching Lewis and Simon’s videos and I immensely enjoyed their back-and-forth dialogue and funny personalities. Why would I consider The Yogscast to be my lovemark? The answer here rests in the fact that I am devoted to watching every new Yogscast video, especially Lewis and Simon’s videos. Although I have not seen every video created by the entire Yogscast crew or even every video published by Lewis and Simon, I can easily admit that I have seen several hundred (over a long period of time, of course!) videos and I make a point to take time out of my week  to watch their videos. I watch at the very least one Yogscast video a day (usually between 3:00-20:00 minutes depending on the content), although it tends to be more or less, five videos. If I have to rationalize it, I am devoted to watching The Yogscast because they have never failed to meet my entertainment-expectations. I love the personalities of the people, the content of the videos; I just love The Yogscast. Period. What values are expressed by your lovemark? What identity are you expressing? What needs is the lovemark fulfilling for you? Humor, community, and friendship are values expressed by The Yogscast. You see, when I watch a Yogscast video or mini-series, I get the feeling of being a part of a community (after all, I am a Yognau(gh)t). When I look down to the comments section of YouTube, the majority of commenters have seen many Yogscast videos and they appear to view the Yogscast in the way I do. They understand who the Yogscast members portray themselves to be and the majority of Yogscast YouTube commenters are Yognau(gh)ts – we understand each other and therefore communicate more easily than if we did not have The Yogscast in common. This Yogscast YouTube comment section builds a community between Yognau(gh)ts and in this community we, of course, joke (because humor is a driving force behind The Yogscast) and build friendships.