Friday, 19 March 2010
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Brand Loyalties Could Hurt Your Budgets
Brand loyalty is something companies kill for- they want to hook you so that you keep coming back to them for over and over again. While I do make some exceptions, I'm not a supported of brand loyalty, particularly for those on a budget. You limit your choices and possibly commit yourself to higher prices.
There's one thing to hunt down and find the PERFECT fitting pair of jeans and then become a devotee of that brand. With all the work and trauma involved in trying on jeans, I see no fault in that. Brand loyalty is particularly a big deal when it comes to electronics. The sheer number of people devoted is Apple is astounding, and my boyfriend is hard-pressed to buy anything that isn't Sony. But limiting yourself to one brand forecloses the possibilities of finding better deals and maybe even better products, particularly if you don't have a real reason for being loyal to that brand to begin with.
Take, for instance, loyalty to certain brand names of grocery products. If you refuse to ever try another type, you might never realize that the generic version tastes exactly the same and costs 20%, so you never see those savings. And if you'll only buy Sony TVs, you might never realize that you can pay $300 less and get a similar television that is adequate for your needs. And while Macs do have their specific uses, our post asking if they were worth the price generated some very heated responses. You might be paying a premium just to stick with a company name.
If you do have some kind of brand loyalty, I would hope it's for a good reason. Maybe it's that brand of jeans you realized are cut just right for your figure, or it's the cosmetics company that uses testing procedures you can support, or a brand that you always return to after trying all the rest because it really is just better to you. But don't limit your options just because a brand is popular or "supposed' to be good. Do your research and make sure they actually are a good fit for you.
How do you feel about brand loyalty? Are you loyal to any brands?
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Comments (3)
I'm not loyal to brands really, but I look for the best companies with strong ethical standards, even if that means sacrificing a hole in my wallet.
I look for quality rather than brand because I have such great taste and judgement. I don't buy something becuase it is a popular brand.
I'm not brand loyal when it comes to food or most other things. I am loyal to Mac computers, but it's only because they are the only ones that have the software I need for my profession. Unfortunately some software is only Mac based as opposed to Windows based so I don't have too much of a choice.