Are you brand concious ?
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it might sound kinda dumb, but sometimes I catch myself consuming a particular brand because "I feel" like it's better.
For instance, back in January I bought a tablet at a retailer called Liverpool here in Mexico (which honestly is kind of one of the best companies in the country) and 40% of my reasoning was that I felt that if I had any trouble they would be helpful, and I don't have that sensation from the actual manufacturer of the device who also has good support in the country.
I often do this with stuff at the supermarket, my car's tires... even other random crap. I'm looking to upgrade my PC and for some reason "I need" parts made by Micron. but deep down I know it's kind of a meaningless concern.
It also happened to me recently with Ikea. I know dozens of carpinters that make the stuff better, but since I didn't have the time to actually research and properly spec my new desk I bought it there. It's also kind of ridiculous to buy a flat piece of wood that's been imported from Slovakia.
I know some take it to a very intense extent. My grandfather is the type of man who goes to the supermarket one day and buys 40 pairs of of toothbrushes for fear of the model going out of sale, he's also the type of person to buy exclusively two brands: Chevy and BMW.
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Only when it counts. The only brands I've ever been outright loyal to are the ones who have never let me down in a serious way:
Publix grocery stores
Crutchfield car/home AV
Southwest Airlines
Discover credit cards/bankThat doesn't mean I'll use these exclusively, just that if they come up in a list of options, I'm willing to put them at the top of the list, even if their price is a wee bit higher. And to make my shortlist, I need to have at least 10-20 years of ongoing experience with them, just to make sure it's consistent
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@tae Generally (as a marketing MBA) I would highly advise people not to be, however obviously with companies there is a track record, there is a prestige attached to certain names, it's impossible not to be a little swayed. Just don't let it be the deciding factor. Just enjoy that dopamine hit when you do buy it.
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@ash78 in my case it's mostly fear of the new... I'm also very quick to find issue with things that are "new," IDK, I use the same brand of deodorant since I can remember and whenever I have to use another because the one I buy is out of stock somehow it's "worse." It is purely psychological.
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@MybirdIStheword reputation is abused quite often. I find BMW for instance absolutely abused of their #brand to push front wheel drive onto consumers.
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@MybirdIStheword Yep, it's definitely helpful to be aware which brands are "real" vs licensed.
For example, brands like Polaroid and Westinghouse are long dead, but are still used to find appeal among mostly older consumers who still value them. I find this personally offensive, but I get it.
We have a Westinghouse mini-split AC in our rec room (we had no choice, it was either that or wait several months). Thankfully, it's actually Fujitsu, a reputable brand. Yet it's still a piece of crap, so...
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@tae Sometimes. usually for things like shoes, and clothing. There's been several times I've gotten cloths at a thrift store or TJ Maxx and liked them enough that I've gone out an bought more of the same brand even at full price. For shoes when I find a pair I really like there's a good chance I'll own 2-3 more of them over next few years. I've had 3 of the same pair of Etnnies over the last 7 years, and I'm thinking about picking up a 4th.
I was a loyal Honda owner for year too, but then I got bored.
Oh and I'm an Apple snob. I got an iPhone 6S when they first came out, after a string of LG and Samsung, and a iPad shorty after that. I've got a iPhone 12 now and a newer iPad. I'll never go back to Andriod -
@tae Absolutely part of the reason I bought an Audi was because I'm a VW/Audi Group whore. I'd argue a lot of it has to do with my familiarity of VW cars and feeling more at home in the Audi than I did in the BMW/Merc/Alfa/etc I test drove before buying.
The trick is knowing you are irrationally attached to a brand and not letting it be a hindrance (beyond reason).
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@ash78 said in Are you brand concious ?:
mini-split AC
Are these just all junk? I have heard a lot of people say things like, "oh yeah get a mini split, they're great...I mean ours breaks all the time but it's way better than a window unit and not as expensive as doing something with the central AC...."
Were thinking of doing new modern ducting in our house as the AC just does not get upstairs on hot days. That is obviously expensive so I have kicked around the idea of a mini-split(s)...They're not exactly cheap but obviously cheaper than new ducts.
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@tae certain things, yes, sometimes the established brand is just better, but, in cases where it makes no difference, or the generic version is actually better (often happens with Costco Kirkland Signature stuff), no. I'm loyal to the product, not the brand.
Few things - obviously prefer to buy expensive electronics from names I recognize rather than the ones they display by the lottery counter at the front of the supermarket (Pinnacle LCD TV, Summit laptop, etc)
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@tae People often forget that price and brand do not equal quality. Unfortunately, all knowing that does usually is make you paranoid when shopping lol
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@tae I'll look for the brand name when the quality warrants it. And I'll be loyal. When the stockholders say move production to whatever third world country and reduce the quality to increase the profits? See ya.
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@HFV I'm a huge TJ Maxx/Homegoods/Marshall's fan, personally. I find it really hard to shop at so-called "regular price retailers" now, especially when the TJX trio of stores aren't really THAT cheap. They've all gone a little more upmarket and don't feel painful to shop...unlike, say, ROSS. Lost cause.
Same for me with Apple -- not a huge fanboi, but they are pretty consistent (and I'm lazy and like things easy). My 1-month-old watch just died, which sucks, but they overnighted me a shipping box and promised I'd have it back in 3-5 days. So the warranty service is pretty solid, too.
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For me, it's less about the brand and more about the product. If a company changes the product I normally use, that's when I start looking at options. Once I find something that does the job to my satisfaction, then I usually stick with it. I don't try new just for new products' sake.
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@tae It depends. generally I find something I like and then stick with it until they change the product, either cost or how it's made or someone shows me something better. Forget cars for a minute. I like Lacoste polos. Sure they're a bit more, but I like the way the fit, color options, and they last ~10 years. So if I want a new polo, I go buy another Lacoste polo.
For things like electronics, since I buy them so infrequently, I look for whatever meets my needs the most in the moment.
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@MybirdIStheword said in Are you brand concious ?:
Just don't let it be the deciding factor.
Counterpoint... all other things being equal, by all means let it be the deciding factor. You'll be more comfortable with it. And down the line if things do go wrong, you won't be kicking yourself over buying a brand you were unfamiliar with instead of the one you know where you may know how to solve the problem.
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@Tripper I still don't know, but I would lean toward a Mr Cool DIY setup if you can pull it off. Then you're only out $1,000 or so, not the ~$3,500 I paid my GC to do everything.
Now my GC has ghosted me (job is done) and the HVAC guy is pretty flaky. They've spent hours trying to fix it and I'm confident we'll get there, but you can tell they're out of ideas...
Worst A/C solution of all, except for all the other ones
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@tae I am with a couple of things mostly because they're consistent, quality, and the hassle of trying something different usually doesn't outweigh the slightly cheaper cost/unknown factor.
Ariat boots, Levi's jeans, and while I'm not brand loyal I almost always find myself gravitating towards Yamaha motorcycles over anything else (I have owned/do own a Harley and several Hondas)I've also only ever had Ford trucks, I'm less brand loyal now than I used to be but there's always one or two thing that made Ford win out. (ex. When I bought my 2014 I was cross shopping Rams, but Fords were better priced and way easier to find in crew cab 6.5' bed form, if I had found a Ram I would have bought it. I'd also buy a newer Ford %100 because the aluminum body despite the fact that I like the newer Rams better)
Edit: I'm oddly loyal to Menards and will only go to Home Depot or Lowes as a last resort, why I have no idea my dad is the same way so I blame him. It's a running joke in our family, for both my mom and my wife, that it's not a date night if we don't stop at Menards (loving sarcasm applied).
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@Tripper said in Are you brand concious ?:
@ash78 said in Are you brand concious ?:
mini-split AC
Are these just all junk? I have heard a lot of people say things like, "oh yeah get a mini split, they're great...I mean ours breaks all the time but it's way better than a window unit and not as expensive as doing something with the central AC...."
Were thinking of doing new modern ducting in our house as the AC just does not get upstairs on hot days. That is obviously expensive so I have kicked around the idea of a mini-split(s)...They're not exactly cheap but obviously cheaper than new ducts.
I have Mitsubishi Electric split units and they're fantastic. Going on 3 years now with zero problems on the units themselves. Only problem we did have was a bad joint in the pipe work which was leaking. That was an installation problem and Stellitano HVAC came out immediately and fixed it. They're who we used to install and they've been great, not sure how close to New Hope you are but they I'd use them again if I were to do it over. https://stellitanohvac.com/
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@tae Yes, to an extent. It makes life easier. I know who makes the clothes I like, so when something wears out I can go replace it in 10 minutes instead of 2 hours. I know who makes the food I like, so I don't need to think about the menu - I can just get fed.
But I'd say it's usually less about the brand itself and more about the fact that I tend to "integrate" with products rather than just use them. I like things to work the way I've become accustomed to them, and the easiest way to do that is to buy the same products. Change for change's sake does not appeal to me.
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@ash78 Good intel. I have been looking at the Mr. Cool units.
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@Bloody-the-resident-LandRover-apologist I'm not exactly close to New Hope (Malvern) but not that far either. I'll definitely give them a call when we get to shopping around, thanks!
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@tae I have a few brand loyalties because I find they generally make things that work for me better than any alternative.
I have exclusively bought Oakley sunglasses for the past 10+ years because I have a rather big head and find they fit better than any alternative I've tried.
Same for shoes, I need 4E width and there are only certain ones that fit well. So when I find a pair that I like I will reorder them until they aren't available just so I don't have to search 5 different stores when I need new ones.
Other things I don't care so much about and it's worked out well. I was looking for a new TV a few years ago and settled on a TCL, a brand I was completely unfamiliar with, and have not a single regret on that decision. I have used a lot of samsung screens in the past but didn't want to spend the money for a comparable one this time and ended up with exactly what works for me.
Cars are trickier, I'm not particularly loyal but I am picky and there are only so many brands that make what I want. When I was looking at either a truck or a Jeep I found a compromise and there is only one made so I bought it. I have also owned a lot of Mazdas but again there aren't a ton of comps to a miata and the Mazdaspeed was the cheapest power I could get back in 2011.
My grandpa is weird though. He is a notably cheap person, doesn't spend much on clothes or shoes or cars or really anything he doesn't have to. But the man is fiercely loyal to Apple and Starbucks, and has been for 20+ years now.
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@Tripper My house was built in 1958 and is a Cape so to install traditional A/C would have cost us $35k. The split units were $15k so it was a no brainer for us, they also have heat pumps and are good to like 10F in the winter so we can also save on oil heat by running them.