GoGirls - girls on the go!

In my sociology class of pop culture we have been talking about ideologies being imposed on consumers through various systems (commercials, print ads, books, movies...) . It is like where ever we go we are being manipulated into believing or even not believing into something. And it is so bizarre that we put so much meaning into something as simple as an ambiguous symbol. Or is it that the producers are implanting the meaning in us? This whole concept is so confusing. So what really are brands? Is it a simple product, a symbol, or a solution to our problems, the little push we need to raise our confidence, the dreams we want to reach. Are they a symbol or a manipulative message? Is there a way of escaping any form of branding? Because if we do try to escape branding we are still being affected and influenced by it.