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Does anyone here avoid big brand names, status known labels because

B

bozack

Diamond Member
they know they can get better deals/products with others but is still drawn to the big name product?

Just curious how marketing impacts people, personally I find that even if I know a less known item is just as good, I still find myself drawn to the known name brand.

examples would be

Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac, Audi....I know the japanese luxury compare very well with these brands and are typically cheaper (Infinity, Lexus, Acura, and Hyundai with the Genesis), yet regardless I still always find myself drawn to the germans and the american brands no matter how much I "know" the japanese do it better.

Rolex, I know other brands make nicer watches for the same money (IWC, GO, Blancpain) and that a few brands offer the same or slightly better quality for alot less (Omega)...but there is still something about Rolex that appeals to me, the status, the classic looks, who knows...but I can never bring myself to sell mine and get something else, or when I am thinking of getting a gift for my wife they are the first brand that comes to mind.

Montblanc, plenty of better pen companies out there, but like Rolex I always come back despite the higher price.

Brooks Brothers, Joseph Banks is about as good, especially in there higher end lines and alot cheaper...but I just like Brooks, though I will say Brooks shirts last longer.

Sony, ok this is the exception as I tend not to buy Sony stuff, but I do find myself liking a few of their things, and I almost bought a sony GPS system against better judgement, had Tom Tom not had one on super sale I fear I would have caved for the Sony.

Capital Grill, Cheescake Factory, Legal Seafood....all places that are only "ok" at best, yet for some reason I like going there from time to time.

Maui Jim Sunglasses, bought a pair of Ray bans as I couldn't stomach the price of the MJs but still want a pair as while the RBs are fine, the MJs seem nicer.

Someone above mentioned Hyundai, I think that is a fabulous example, especially in the Genesis, a car that I personally think technologically and build wise seems on par with many others that cost thousands more, but honestly if in the market for such a car I would have a hard time choosing that over a low end C class Merc mainly due to the brand image/name brand appeal

I also wonder how many use or look at items as status symbols, for some things I do...though I don't try to put off an image of status with them, rather I am just drawn to them in part because I think their recognition.

Things I don't care about are jeans (know so many that spend hundreds on jeans), food (not really a brand person at the store), OTC Drugs (will buy generics all the
 
Originally posted by: bozack
they know they can get better deals/products with others but is still drawn to the big name product?

Just curious how marketing impacts people, personally I find that even if I know a less known item is just as good, I still find myself drawn to the known name brand.
Click to expand...

I'm just the opposite: I generally prefer the "off-brand". Sometimes this has burned me, other times it's made me smile as others gaped.
 
As a friend of mine said, "I'm performance-loyal, not brand-loyal." Sometimes the big name brand is the best performer, sometimes not. In cases where it is, and I am annoyed by their garish product logo, I might remove said logo.
 
Originally posted by: spaceman
are we talking clothing/tools/what?
Click to expand...

Pretty much anything....

A few examples I can think of would be:

Mercedes and Cadillac, logically I know there are better less expensive car makers out there (Acura for example)...however emotionally I am drawn to these to brands or more specifically a few of their models.

Chain places to eat....lots of better local places but the convenience of the chains makes them hard for me to avoid...plus even though I want to hate them because they are chains and the service is often hit or miss I still find myself going back.

Or any other product really.
 
I buy whatever has the best quality or fits my needs.

there are certain name brands of clothes that I like the look/fit of better than walmart crap, certain name brands foods that taste better than generic, and others where it doesn't matter.
 
Originally posted by: bozack
they know they can get better deals/products with others but is still drawn to the big name product?

Just curious how marketing impacts people, personally I find that even if I know a less known item is just as good, I still find myself drawn to the known name brand.
Click to expand...

I do not use product ownings as a status symbol... therefore i will never buy a cadillac, i will never shop at AE, nor will I ever eat Grey Poupon.

Foods I generally buy the brand name, because there usually is a taste/quality difference...
but In clothing, The cheap Jeans I get from walmart, are every bit better than the expensive Levi's from Kauffmans.
 
Usually when I go for a big brand name item, it's because I don't feel like doing the research required to make an educated choice. Warranties are usually good for the big brand items, so it's a relatively safe bet.
 
Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
As a friend of mine said, "I'm performance-loyal, not brand-loyal." Sometimes the big name brand is the best performer, sometimes not. In cases where it is, and I am annoyed by their garish product logo, I might remove said logo.
Click to expand...

Pretty much the same. Although I consider how important it is at the same time. Its like computer hardware - I don't need the best performer out there because it costs a LOT. The 'next step down' is almost always significantly cheaper.

However, I did get a banana republic shirt for 10$ and it was 90% off...and I must say it was the most expensive, but also the best quality shirt I've ever worn. Can't say I'd buy it at 100 dollars (Too expensive for my blood), but if I could find a similar 'off brand' quality for 35 dollars I sure as hell would buy it. I just haven't that lol

I wouldn't drive a Ka not b/c its gives a different image about saving money....but because a friend had one, and the interior, after one year, looked like it had been used for 10 years at that point. Hell, my 91 miata interior (I'm the third owner 😛 ) looked 100x better.


I focus on quality, then cost, and then anything comes afterward. If its offbrand name vs 'brand name' I will care if I know it will affect a specific person's perception (b/c Imo I don't care much), but that part will only come after quality and cost requirements have been met.


edit: to make this relevant to you....no I care almost zero about pharma advertisements. Those have made zero impact on me. If anything I get more hesitant about that medicine because it needs a marketing blitz to sell.
 
Originally posted by: sao123
Originally posted by: bozack
they know they can get better deals/products with others but is still drawn to the big name product?

Just curious how marketing impacts people, personally I find that even if I know a less known item is just as good, I still find myself drawn to the known name brand.
Click to expand...

I do not use product ownings as a status symbol... therefore i will never buy a cadillac, i will never shop at AE, nor will I ever eat Grey Poupon.

Foods I generally buy the brand name, because there usually is a taste/quality difference...
but In clothing, The cheap Jeans I get from walmart, are every bit better than the expensive Levi's from Kauffmans.
Click to expand...

I go for specific brands, ones I've tried and liked, but not ones that are the "in" thing, I guess. In the case of jeans, I just bought three pairs of Lees for $12 each. I'll take those over some super-expensive name jeans anyday.
 
Originally posted by: sao123

I do not use product ownings as a status symbol... therefore i will never buy a cadillac, i will never shop at AE, nor will I ever eat Grey Poupon.
Click to expand...

😕 I get your point, and I feel the same, but I don't agree with your examples.

I don't exactly consider AE to be a high-end brand. A&F maybe? I have bought a few $10 long-sleeved solid colour shirts from both AE and the Gap, which were good deals. But yea, I do avoid their more expensive stuff, which is overpriced.

I think in years past you could consider Cadillac to be all luxury and status, but some of their new models (e.g. CTS-V) are actually very high performance as well.

For food, I always buy generic; there are only a few items where I have gone back to brand names because they taste better.

When I do buy brands, it is because they offer the best value, or the best performance. For example, I ordered a Dell PC for a family member, and I buy Nike running shoes because I have found they have the best cushioning and ride for me.
 
Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha
Originally posted by: sao123

I do not use product ownings as a status symbol... therefore i will never buy a cadillac, i will never shop at AE, nor will I ever eat Grey Poupon.
Click to expand...

😕 I get your point, and I feel the same, but I don't agree with your examples.

I don't exactly consider AE to be a high-end brand. A&F maybe?
Click to expand...

American Eagle or Armani Exchange?

I'd consider American Eagle to be like a step above Old Navy, but I really like the fit of their jeans more than just about anywhere else I've shopped.
 
Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
As a friend of mine said, "I'm performance-loyal, not brand-loyal." Sometimes the big name brand is the best performer, sometimes not. In cases where it is, and I am annoyed by their garish product logo, I might remove said logo.
Click to expand...

This. Sometimes I find some of the "name brand" clothing to be better performing.. but I still won't go buy a "graphic tee" or anything of the sort. Also, I buy a lot of "name brand" stuff on sale. Just bought a few J Crew polo's for like 12-15 bucks a piece. Though J Crew doesn't really put it's label all over the clothing and I don't know how "name brand" it is.
 
Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven
As a friend of mine said, "I'm performance-loyal, not brand-loyal." Sometimes the big name brand is the best performer, sometimes not. In cases where it is, and I am annoyed by their garish product logo, I might remove said logo.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
I tend to go by price. Usually I'll get not the cheapest, but whatever is in the middle. If online shopping I'll usually read reviews first. If at a store, I'll take my chances, but at least I know it's not far to bring it back if there's issues.

For electronics I go mostly by experience and reviews. For example when I built my raid 5 array I had 3 different drives in there. I wanted them to be all the same brand/model so I looked at the stats to see which performed better so I got 2 more of those. I also knew to avoid seagate as they've had a super bad track record for disk failures lately. I'd use them for a non critical application like 1 backup drive part of a rotation, but not for live data.
 
It depends. I'm anti Apple and Sony, and will avoid those products at all costs. Otherwise I buy what works best for me. I do have some fierce brand loyalties, but they're based on my perception of them being best in class.
 
Depends on what I'm buying. I try to go for best price to performance and sometimes, the branded stuff takes that trophy. Probably all of my electronic stuff are branded like my PC innards, headphones, tv's, and so on. Clothing on the other hand, are mostly non-branded like my cotton t's and socks.
 
depends on what it is. if its something expensive i research it and buy the best price for the performance. Same with clothing. if i am getting something where i don't need to dress nice bu twant ti to last i usually go to Farm and fleet and get the house brand. its not cheap (cheaper then most stuff) and last.
 
I do tend to buy nicer clothing, but I never pay full price for clothing. I can always find good deals for decent men's clothing. I am a Banana Republic whore and I have found them to fit me very, very well, have a good design & fit, and good quality. I've bought a few items at Old Navy and H & M and found them to be too shoddy in quality - especially after a year of wearing H & M my experience has been it will just fall apart. I sort of have odd dimensions - really short guy at 5'4" but I have a 42" chest and 32" waist so in a sense If have the dimensions of somebody much taller than me but I have a short torso. Many manufactures do not seem to scale their sizes very well. Anyhow, finding a designer that makes well-fitting clothes is important but I found this in Banana Republic and I have stuck with them since. I have also had good luck with Ralph Lauren and Polo Ralph Lauren.

For groceries I just buy whatever I like - sometimes that is the store brand and sometimes it is the name brand. Due to many bad past experiences I do avoid Sony as much as I can, and I personally have no desire to purchase Apple products. I have been an AMD fan-boy since my first K5 processor, but my current laptop is an Intel since in every other aspect it was the best bang for my buck.
 
Personally, the whole brand loyalty/aversion thing gets pretty silly/stupid. I hear people have one bad experience (say a random part breaks on the product, which given the amount of production is bound to happen anyways) swear off that company before they even contacted customer support. Many companies that I hold higher in esteem I do so specifically because of how their customer support handled it (although I've seen people get a little bit spoiled, and after having used say a higher end product then get mad that they didn't get the same support for a lower end product from a different company). And yes, I think its stupid to let marketing sway you heavily (people who refuse to use Apple products because of their commercials for instance, or thinking Bose is top quality audio products).

If a company makes a good product that fits your needs/wants, then buy it. Sure, you should take into account support, warranty, and other factors, but don't let a brand name get in your way (unless you have specific reason to do so that goes beyond one slightly sour experience).

All of that being said, I'm sure I've been guilty of all of those things (from both sides). In the end you can't really know until you use something for yourself if you'll like it or not. I've researched products and bought one that had good reviews that was on sale for a good price only to end up regretting buying it because it didn't fit with me. I've tried a bunch of products over the past 4-5 years, and I've finally gotten to the point where it doesn't bother me if I don't like something that other people rave about or other people don't like something that I thought was good.
 
Depends on the product, some big-name stuff (notably some foods) really are better (Thomas's English muffins, OM NOM NOM), in other cases the same, and in some worse. I'm swayed very little by marketing, mostly because I'm logical and realize advertising doesn't impact product quality at all, but also because I view very few ads. I use AdBlock, I don't watch TV, etc.
 
for most things i am usually drawn to lesser known but still very good quality. I tend to get stuff from smaller companies esp. for backpacking gear. for clothing i look at performance, but find that much of the time the brand name stuff like Mt. hardware, or Columbia are the best, and usually do not cost that much more than the off brands. If i have a choice I will usually go for the brands that you do not see that often.
 
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