Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Brand Loyalty

Pepsi or Coke?  Walgreens or CVS?  Jimmy Johns or Subway?  Papa Johns or Pizza Hut?  McDonalds or Burger King? Gap or Urban? Starbucks or is there anything else? 


Every day we're given choices of pretty much the same product.  Yet, time and time again, we choose one over the other. Why?  I argue that those working in marketing have done their job - I'm loyal to the products in which they have advertised.  And I really can't choose otherwise.  If asked why I choose one over the other... I just can't.  I feel like my typical answer is somewhere along the line of... "I just like it."  Marketing firms have done their job so well, I don't think I can properly think for myself.  And that's what I call brand loyalty to the max.


Tonight, I stopped over to my friend's apartment to quickly chat about life.  The X factor was playing on TV and the judges were each drinking out of Pepsi cups.  Even if they weren't drinking Pepsi, I bet a few people will pick up a two liter.  The power of advertising.


We started talking about bran loyalty and how it controls what we as consumers choose to purchase or even choose to shop.  This made me pose the question of where would they rather go - CVS or Walgreens.  Their response: CVS.  My response: Walgreens.  I can't tell you why, but I prefer 9 times out of 10 to shop at that establishment.  When I asked my friends they said they thought they could get better deals over the competitor.  In addition, one of them stated that their old apartment had both a Walgreens and a CVS nearby.  The CVS was right across the street, whereas the Walgreens was two streets over and you had to walk through a parking lot.  And by two streets, I mean where two streets merge together, not two blocks (for those of you who know MKE - I'm referring to the spot on Brady and Farwell).  Now, that's American.

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