A Brand Icon

Television Centre. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

I admit I was upset when I heard Television Centre was to be sold. And I am conflicted about my feelings. I see the logic - I can't separate my emotional connection. I live near it, I love going by it, my memories of childhood are imbued with it, my kids have performed there, my dog has performed there, I've done work there. But I suppose it is just a building...

That's the thing about brands though. They aren't just places, or things, or stuff. They are a bagful of emotional content that gives each of us a personal connection with a brand. How a brand fits into your personal and individual life. Often those brands are made up of some significant iconic objects: the Coke bottle, the Levi's red tag, the Disney castle. They act as anchors to connect us with all the feelings that make the brand.

Charlie Brooker's article in today's G2 expresses excellently his/my frustration about the TVC development. I love his reference to Glaswegian comedy writer-performer Robert Florence (Burnistoun) who wrote that telling an aspiring comedy writer that TV Centre won't be around any more is like telling a budding astronaut the moon has disappeared. Read it and weep...