R.J. Yancey
Staff Writer
rjyancey@valdosta.edu
Brand loyalty is a societal behavior demonstrated by a consumer’s commitment to repurchase the same brand over and over. This behavior can be shown in people who buy certain brands all the time, with no regard to price or quality. Some of the first brands that come to mind when considering brand loyalty are Pepsi and Coke. No matter who you are, as long as you drink soda, you have a side. Some lay their loyalty with Pepsi, while others side with Coke. With no middle ground in the argument between which is better, one can sometimes wonder why it matters so much. Is the loyalty to a specific brand really that important? What causes this fierce devotion?
Image is definitely a factor. By nature, we as a society are completely dependent on what other people think. With so much emphasis on what everyone else’s perception is, brand names are sometimes seen as a free ticket into a specific clique. If you wear Hot Topic clothing from head to toe, odds are you will be welcomed with open arms into the gothic/hardcore community. If you dress exclusively in American Eagle, you’re going to be embraced by a completely opposite clique. Whether someone is dressing to impress, or just trying to fit in with the kids at school, brand loyalty is exhibited daily. Unfortunately, people who attempt to criss-cross brands and styles sometimes end up giving muddy signals to hardened cliques, jeopardizing artificial friendships.
Another form of brand loyalty stems from a consumer’s dependability on a certain brand. As a personal example, I only buy Heinz ketchup because that’s what I’ve grown up with. I like to think I’m not completely shallow, considering I have given other brands a chance. The only notable competitor that comes to mind is Hunts. Now Hunts and Heinz both have great ketchup and are priced almost exactly the same, but when it comes to my burger, Heinz is the only ketchup that makes sense. In my mind, it is almost un-American to consider an alternative. The irony lies in that I don’t even know if Heinz is based in the United States. It could be, but suppose its tomatoes are imported from overseas. That would make me look like quite the hypocrite.
Although brand loyalty may not be the biggest problem in our society today, it is important to note that big-time corporations capitalize on consumers’ loyalty to their brand. This is true even when products are of questionable quality. With no intention of targeting a specific offender, the Apple company has been under scrutiny after facing allegations that they are purposely releasing music players that aren’t meant to last more than a couple years. In theory, based on Apple’s loyal following, consumers will be more than willing to buy the newer iteration of music player after their current model has gone kaput.
If we lived in a perfect society, people would buy based on personal preference, weighing in quality versus price, but brand loyalty will always be a cloud over consumer’s heads. Luckily, with the way the economy is stumbling, consumers are starting to think with their wallets more than anything else.