The cost of brand buy-in
Driving around town this morning, I ended up behind a Nissan Xterra with two stickers on the rear window: an Apple sticker and a Patagonia sticker. None of these things are terribly remarkable on their own, but put together, it looked to me like a picture of brand buy-in.
Let me say up front, I have nothing against any of these companies. But it did make me wonder how much money I spend embracing an idea versus getting something I need. The Xterra, Apple, and Patagonia are all pushing an idea as much as they are a product. The fact that this driver went to the effort of obtaining and adhering these stickers to their nice little vehicle tells me that clearly, these brands are doing a good job of getting buy-in. That’s great for them (and as a business person, I’d like to achieve those kind of results!). But as a consumer, I’m a little afraid of attaching myself so firmly to an idea tied to a product that I’m shopping based on the wrong criteria.
What do you think? Am I hyper-sensitive? Does it even matter?
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absolutely it matters. i think brand buy-in is a real money sucker, even though it can be useful. there is something to be said for consistent quality in a brand making a purchase worth your money. but there is also the idea that you are paying more for something than you should when a cheaper alternative is available. everyone should admit to themselves that no matter what they think, they do have some brand loyalty. then occassionally check your loyalties and see if it is worth the time to ditch it. i.e. i pay a few cents more for the ocean spray dried cranberries over the wal-mart brand. i tried the wal-mart brand a couple of months ago to see if it was worth it. lets just say i ended up throwing away the wal-mart ones. so i’ll keep my loyalty there, but recognize that i am buying with a certain bias.
Like my Mom always said, “you get what you pay for”. I own an Apple computer and would not even think about having anything else for the sheer fact of quality. I can also honestly say that I own Patagonia clothing as well. If a person is that secure in believing in a certain company and their products, then by all means advertise for them.