“Have you experienced all of these steps before? Have you had any cognitive dissonance? If so what was it and what did you do, did you keep the product, give it to a friend, or return it?”
I think I pretty much speak for everyone when I make the statement that everyone has suffered from cognitive dissonance at one point or another. The last purchase that I made that I had cognitive dissonance about was…a pea coat about a year and a half ago. I usually think things through before I buy anything. If I want something bad enough or I need it bad enough, I’ll get it and won’t think twice. But for some reason, I decided I wanted a pea coat. I found a cheap one, and emphasize on the word cheap, online and decided to buy. I got it in and didn’t think much of it until the first couple weeks into winter. I beat it up pretty good and then all of a sudden, the pilling of the wool began. Then the buttons started to get loose. I realized at that point that I probably should have ordered one through my family and spent the money to get the right quality. I ended up ordering another one, paid the extra money, and now I’m happier with the second one. I kept the other one but only wear it when I know it’ll get beat up. I learned my lesson, spend the extra money. Or examine the product before I buy it. I won’t make that mistake again.
This is the shortest post ever but I’ll turn the question on you: have you experienced all the steps before? Have you had any cognitive dissonance? If so, what was it and what did you do: did you keep the product, give it to a friend, or return it?
Friday, April 9, 2010
Branding
Branding is everywhere we look. The definition of a brand, as defined in the book, is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one marketer’s product as distinct from those of other marketers. Brand names and brand marks help make the term brand. Brand name is the part of the brand that can be spoken and brand mark is the part of the brand not made up of words. The documentary “Overspent Americans” states that we buy items based off the brands or logos that we see; that can be called brand loyalty. Brand loyalty is defined as a customer’s favorable attitude toward a specific brand. There are 3 degrees of brand loyalty: brand recognition, brand preference, and brand insistence. Brand recognition is a customer’s awareness that the brand exists and is an alternative purchase. Brand preference is the degree of loyalty in which a customer prefers one brand over competitive offerings. And brand insistence is when a customer strongly prefers a specific brand and will accept no substitute.
People have their preferred brands and will stick with them. I personally prefer NIKE over Adidas and Chevys over Fords. I think some of it is how you are raised but most of it is the level of quality you come to expect from a brand. You expect that level of quality whether it is in shoes, shorts, or t-shirts. Or maybe you come to expect a certain fit from the brand. I feel people associate quality with certain brands. People also expect a higher quality from higher prices. If you pay $100 for a shirt at Armani you expect a level of satisfaction out of it. You recognize an Armani label and you already have an idea of the type of product it is. You might realize it is an alternative to a Hart Schafter & Marx (an expense alternative) and give it a try. If you are satisfied with the brand you form a loyalty to it.
My family owns a clothing store and we deal with brand loyalty all the time. Yes, there is plenty of clothing out there that we can get a great deals and mark up to make great profits; but we chose not to. We recognize quality in a brand and we form a loyalty to it. We have loyalty to U.S. made clothing. The prices might be higher and there might not be a thousand different patterns but we know there is a level of quality that is unmatched. We don’t necessarily carry the popular brand names if we don’t feel it will live up to our expectations. We’ve made it as long as we have because our clothing last, and when people recognize our name they associate a level of quality it. Examining and researching product before we purchase is necessary. Like the t-shirt example in that documentary, all 3 shirts could be the same but people chose based off of the logo; doesn’t mean that the quality is any different though, people choose off of preference. Customer and retailers alike form brand insistence to products.
How do you feel? Do you come to expect certain things from certain brands? Do you prefer and insist on certain brands or are you open to anything?
People have their preferred brands and will stick with them. I personally prefer NIKE over Adidas and Chevys over Fords. I think some of it is how you are raised but most of it is the level of quality you come to expect from a brand. You expect that level of quality whether it is in shoes, shorts, or t-shirts. Or maybe you come to expect a certain fit from the brand. I feel people associate quality with certain brands. People also expect a higher quality from higher prices. If you pay $100 for a shirt at Armani you expect a level of satisfaction out of it. You recognize an Armani label and you already have an idea of the type of product it is. You might realize it is an alternative to a Hart Schafter & Marx (an expense alternative) and give it a try. If you are satisfied with the brand you form a loyalty to it.
My family owns a clothing store and we deal with brand loyalty all the time. Yes, there is plenty of clothing out there that we can get a great deals and mark up to make great profits; but we chose not to. We recognize quality in a brand and we form a loyalty to it. We have loyalty to U.S. made clothing. The prices might be higher and there might not be a thousand different patterns but we know there is a level of quality that is unmatched. We don’t necessarily carry the popular brand names if we don’t feel it will live up to our expectations. We’ve made it as long as we have because our clothing last, and when people recognize our name they associate a level of quality it. Examining and researching product before we purchase is necessary. Like the t-shirt example in that documentary, all 3 shirts could be the same but people chose based off of the logo; doesn’t mean that the quality is any different though, people choose off of preference. Customer and retailers alike form brand insistence to products.
How do you feel? Do you come to expect certain things from certain brands? Do you prefer and insist on certain brands or are you open to anything?
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