Brand connection

Working in midtown in NYC, it's always funny seeing tourists in their UG boots walking around taking pictures in front of Trump Tower, the glass box Apple store on 59th street, the Louis Vutton store, etc. Today I saw a girl taking a photo in front of the Versace store, with her hands resting below the logo. But the interesting thing is, if you're touring in a different city, why do you feel the need to take a picture in front of stores? Some may do it to tease their friends and say look where I went, and others may do it because it's their favorite store....but I think it's more than that. I think these brands have such a strong connection with people, that they feel the need to physically connect with the brand. Brands make people feel a certain way when they interact with it. For example, I'm a huge Nike fan, and sometimes I walk up the block and around the corner to go around Niketown just for the hell of it...and now that I think about it, when I first came to NY, like the tourist I was, I said "Let's go to Niketown, I gotta see what it's like." The difference was that I don't wear UGs.