Brand loyalty or hate?

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Why do we exhibit tribal loyalty to particular brands, or enmity to other brands based purely on what company a product comes from? We read statements here all the time like, "that filter brand is garbage," or "I would only drive a Chevy." It makes no sense when you look at the numerous products companies make and compare them. Sometimes one product from a brand is great, but another product from that brand is beaten by another company. Or maybe a particular oil is perfect for your ride, but it would be useless in my ride. Or, a more common scenario is that several products are nearly identical in performance, but there will always be people saying , "I would never touch that stuff with a ten-foot poll." It seems like many threads become shouting matches between different brand tribes with no reasoning. I look at shopping for parts like tools. My toolbox is a mixture of expensive tools from various brands for jobs that require expensive tools or ones that will last a long time, then some of my tools are cheap ones that just get the job done at a less expensive level. Sometimes I need a tool for one particular job--it makes no sense to spend a fortune on something I use once every few years. Other tools are oddballs I picked up because they are particularly good at what they do. I can't imagine just picking one tool brand and then never buying tools elsewhere. Shouldn't oil, filters, cars, trucks, and all the other vehicle stuff be chosen or the merits of the product? Does the brand really tell us anything?
 
We do this because in some sense the "things" which we own or what we do define who we are as individuals.

Take OCI's for example. People who over-maintain their vehicles subconsciously want to be perceived as being more responsible when in fact they actually could be LESS irresponsible if they're spending more $$ on additional maintenance doesn't extend the life of their vehicle.
 
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An example popped into my mind as I was thinking about shopping. In the supermarket there is a whole shelf of various brands of half-and-half, and the generic store brand is like $1.00 less per quart than some of them. I have never detected any difference between any of the brands, so I always purchase whichever is cheapest when I am there. Same with a lot of other supermarket branded stuff. Why does someone just waste that $1?
 
Tools and auto's don't remotely compare to majority of people.

Vehicles/brands etc have emotional component attached, tools do not.
 
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Vehicles/brands etc have emotional component attached, tools do not.

Not so sure about that--look at all the threads about particular knives. I have my father's Estwing hammer and it just feels really good in my hand, and I would be very sad if I lost it. It is associated with many projects we worked on together since I was a young child. I own dad's toolbox too. I don't really use it, but I keep it around. But, both are really useful items that do a good job.
 
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We do it because we want to believe our choices are the correct ones. And because of that, we will continue to chose that brand because "it id right by me."
 
For most products out there most Americans buy by price only and that is all they care about. that is until they have a problem and try to get it resolved then they complain like crazy. the old saying that you get what you pay for is probably true 90% of the time.
 
I think this site has some who bring needless drama or get pulled in to it from others taking cheap shots at a brand others have more respect for or can at least remain objective on that brand …

For me it's not necessary a brand … tend think of the whole company and what it brings for general interest
BTW: I don't think this site has an unusual number of Chevy fans … many brands driven by this tribe …
 
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For most products out there most Americans buy by price only

I don't think that is true. Brands rule. Look at shelf space devoted to brand name products in stores like Walmart where you would expect shoppers to be really price conscious. Mobil 1 has a lot more shelf space than Supertech. Same in filters. Lots of FRAMs, not so many Supertechs.
 
Originally Posted by AuthorEditor
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For most products out there most Americans buy by price only

I don't think that is true. Brands rule. Look at shelf space devoted to brand name products in stores like Walmart .


Really? And Walmart is what it is because of the stellar shopping experience and customer service? Or is it because of the perception of cheapest price?

Price rules for the majority of consumers on most items.
 
Yes it's both … they wanted Mobil 1 and know Walmart is one of the cheaper places to buy it. Or they might plan to run the oil longer …
My issue with store brands is not that I don't trust them, I'd rather not support them … I need the global companies to remain healthy … I doubt ST is keeping my B773 in the air …
 
I have two sizes of those hammers …
it's easy to see it's made well and mine had little USA decals … that's a good brand in my head
 
Had a VW and a Toyota in the driveway, and it always bugged me that the wiper control worked opposite in them. When the VW went I wanted another Toyota so that my fleet would all drive and operate the same. [Surprise! my Camry is still the odd man out with its wiper. Can't win sometimes.]

Sometimes it's not worth the effort of research. I've spent 10 hours in the past trying to decide what tires to get: only to have those LTX's dryrot. [That was a waste of money! I still smart over that one.] Sometimes it's not worth the effort to change.
 
Loyalty and hate can be tribalism, as others have mentioned...Oz just had an election, and hearing people talk about how their daddy and grandaddy voted has only the last few days reinforced that.

However, hate is a label...delivered often by fanbois....

Call a company out on a datasheet, or advertising...get labelled a hater, and discourse shuts down, as their tribal defences go up.

Purple Ice, Water Water Wetter, 4 ball, and Timken have no place whatsoever in intelligent discourse on engine oils and coolants, but somehow end up in the most polarised hate/love accusations.
 
Certain folks were taught that an effective way to win a debate is to discredit those they don't agree with.
So, when that's difficult to do (like in your case) … frustration draws desperation …
 
A lot can be learned by studying "emotional vs logical thinking".

I find it fascinating about myself when I spend an inordinate amount of time collecting information to make a rational/logical decision, but I catch the emotional twinges interjecting bias in very subtle ways. At least I attempt to have awareness of the situation, even when the emotional side wins.
 
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