Comments on: Do Name Brands Matter?

By: WhiteEyebrows

WhiteEyebrows — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:34:52 +0000

One more small comment on this.. regarding homogenization of brands.

A while ago, I made a decision that whenever I go on vacation, I want to avoid eating at “chain” restaurants whenever possible. This has proved very hard to do! Chain restaurants, casual dining, and fast food have taken over American dining.

I live in an up-and-coming growth suburb of Dallas. In the last 2 years we’ve gone from having 1 McDonalds and a few mom-and-pop places to adding a Taco Bell, Chick-fil-a, Cristina’s, Quiznos, Panda Express, Jack-in-the-Box, Whataburger, Sonic, and Jamba Juice — all withing 1/2 mile of each other.

The scary thing is that we’re keeping them all squarely in business! While one of the local diners has been able to remain open, all of the others have closed.

We seem to gravitate toward food that is predictable; we know how it tastes and we make decisions based on that fact alone. We never experiment or go out on a limb. I even find myself always ordering the SAME item at each place.

Something weird is definitely happening!

By: WhiteEyebrows

WhiteEyebrows — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:27:06 +0000

For food and fashion, you’re right – name brands matter less and less because the cost of creating effective knock offs is very low as is the barrier to market. The consumer can benefit by off-brand food and fashion that has essentially the same taste and ingredients.

Where the value/price arguments break down is when you get into higher ticket, longer term durable goods. I work for global technology company that has a HUGE brand value. We have worked to build that by not only creating quality products, but by developing an excellent support model. We make more money in support contracts than on products alone. These people represent our brand to our customers. They are highly paid and highly skilled.

Brands create value and are able to charge a premium by offering the customer something they can’t get by buying an off brand.

Apple does it by focusing on design, user experience, stability, and performance. You can’t buy a junky Mac. They are all top-of-the-line machines.

Toyota and Honda did it with quality of their cars, in a time when the Big 3 were consciously ignoring quality. You saw how customers ran for the doors when they were unsure of GM/Chrysler’s future… Customers want a brand they can trust.

Brand image remains one of the most important parts of American commerce, and I am definitely loyal to companies and don’t mind paying a premium for products that are superior to their generic counterparts.

By: EF Cussins

EF Cussins — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:40:02 +0000

I see several generic brands that are actually name brands with a different label.

We usually migrate to the generic brands. However, there are things like cake mix, and certain baking goods that we stick with the name brand. The reason being the difference in quality.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:00:14 +0000

i know i cant always buy a product just because its cheeper, but i will try the store brand at least once to see if it measures up to a name brand.

By: persephone

persephone — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:30:07 +0000

Brands only matter to me to the extent that they help me to identify good experiences from bad experiences. Without brands, it would be hard to track experiences with quality.

By: Stanley L

Stanley L — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:48:27 +0000

One thing to be wary of with regards to brand names vs generics: they may have the same ingredients/components and be made in the same assembly line, but that doesn’t mean they’re identical. Sometimes the generics have less rigorous quality controls, resulting in higher failure or defect rates. Only way to know this is by comparing notes with other people.

By: Bob Farmer

Bob Farmer — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:52:58 +0000

I like to think that I look for quality regardless of brand but the truth is that most of us probably are biased by our own egos. I know that there are high quality guitars made by other companies but I probably will buy another Fender.

By: spicoli

spicoli — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:58:43 +0000

I tend to be loyal to brands that are consistently superior to but comparably priced to competing brands. For example, I always choose Papa John’s when ordering pizza because it is so much better than Dominoes or Pizza Hut (in my opinion).

By: Financial Samurai

Financial Samurai — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:34:50 +0000

Every time I go on a business trip to Asia, I enjoy buying some of the knock off stuff, especially the handbags for the wife.

Name brands matter more in Asia and overseas, than here in the US I feel.

Some do have the quality advantage though.

For luxury watches, it helps to have a rare luxury brand watch model which holds it’s value in the future. You’re actually making money, not wasting!

Best, FS

By: Ann

Ann — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:00:39 +0000

I tend to question brands for brand sake and look for ingredients and quality… and where something is made. (I happen to know someone in quality control at a major drug company and what I’ve learned from him through conversations scares the heck out of me when it comes to offshore production and that has carried over into other products.)

That being said, if I do note a difference in taste and prefer the brand’s, I’ll pay the extra.

Never have been one to buy or have something to impress the neighbors. LOL When it comes to clothes, I tend to look at how well it’s made and the materials they’re made from. I look for a car that’s reliable and will last a long time. I generally pick a few items when I shop and check all the label info for “comparable” products when I’m shopping. If all else is the same, I’ll purchase one of each and do a taste test.

Interesting article.