When thinking about the different brands in my daily life, there are the normal staples of things that i interact with and use everyday, and then there are the things that are specific for only certain times and events. From Friday morning, Jan. 18th until Saturday afternoon, there were a good mix of both types that I interacted with.
The brands that are typical for my everyday use would be those such as the specific products I use in the morning. I am a constant user of Dove shampoo and conditioner, Old Spice soap and deodorant, crest toothpaste, polo cologne, and Gillette shaving products. These products are all seemingly necessities, but I always choose the same ones when I need to replace them, so I am obviously tied to them in some way. The products themselves all offer a core benefit, such as the toothpaste, but the specific brand I choose to use offer augmented features such as tarter control and whitening factors. Most toothpaste brands offer these features, but Crest was what I used growing up and I have not felt any reason to really change what I use. Crest has history with me and since I have never had a cavity or any major dental problems, Crest seems to work like it says it will work.
Overall, when it comes to these brands of products I use on a daily basis, I feel that I use them over another brand because I do not want to think about changing and have to put effort into trying out other options, and possibly spending money on something I do not like. These brands offer me search cost reduction and risk reduction, but other than that I do not feel I interact with them on other levels.
The brand of car that I drive on a daily basis is another brand that I interact with on a very functional basis, especially because the car came at a great price- free. When looking at cars, brands speak volumes to me in regards to quality, style and price. The Jeep Cherokee that I drive is low on quality and style, but also low on price. It is not my first choice of vehicle, but since i have been driving the Jeep, I do feel an growing awareness and appreciation for the Jeep brand. I have rented Jeep vehicles when traveling before and even test driven newer models. This seems to indicate that even though I did not necessarily choose this brand of car, I take pride in the vehicle I drive and want to see how other vehicles of the same brand stand up to, or are better than the one I have. Cars can be very much a social status symbol, and after living in Los Angeles, I saw many people who extended their means, often times living beyond their means, to have a car that would reflect on them a status of wealth and success. That is not to say that that does not happen everywhere, but I personally saw it a lot in Los Angeles, The first car I bought was in Los Angeles, and I bought a Ford F-150, mainly because I had always wanted a nice big truck and I thought a truck would be able to take the wear and tear that the low-maintained LA roads offered. I also bought it to tie into my Texas roots and that it could be a status symbol al of its in own in that regard. Needless to say, I drive a Jeep because it was free to me and it does the job.
Below is a list of other typical brands that I use and interact with on a normal daily basis.
Jeep
Dove
Crest
Old Spice
Polo
Kenneth Cole
Puma - All of my shoes are either Kenneth Cole or Puma
Starbucks/ Seattles Best
Apple - Computer of choice
Bose
U2
Sharp
Diet Coke
Banana Republic
Google
1 comment:
I like that the free brand is growing on you. We'll actually read about the Jeep brand later in the course (Schouten reading, if you are curious before then). It seems funny to me that an F150 would even "fit in" in LA, I always associate those roads with German cars, like Bimmers, Mercedes. I also saw TONS of Toyotas and Hondas on the road there. I drove a Durango through there once and felt like a hick, and it seemed to barely fit on the road. It was also a cheap car, but I did not bond with it...
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