Working Wives & Bachelorettes: Brand Loyalty

Today at lunch the WWB gals and I were discussing the Super Bowl ads from last night. While I usually watch the Super Bowl strictly for the ads--even if the local team is in the game--I feel like I missed a lot of them last night. I did catch a few and they were decent. But would they make me buy? The answer is a resounding NO!

Super Bowl ads are not made to switch a loyal customer from Company A into a loyal customer of Company B. It is production value. It is memorability. Will it be talked about at work on Monday?

It got us to thinking, what brands are you loyal to? It's as old as the Coke vs. Pepsi debate!

There are plenty of products that I am very loyal to! I have used the same face soap for the last 20 years! I don't use it everyday, but I still love it! I have grown in my product spectrum, but this one is always a staple.

My oldest son will only eat Reduced Fat Cheez It crackers. I've even tried saving the box and putting regular ones in it. Nope, he knows. It has to be a certain brand of bread, peanut butter, etc. I swear he would starve before ingesting something that isn't one of his "brands."

My youngest son tells me things are wrong if a company changes their packaging. Giant Eagle recently changed their shredded cheese packaging and while making pizzas one night, he told me it was the wrong cheese. First lesson for my six year old in marketing--the product didn't change, just the packaging.

I can remember in college it was my turn to buy ketchup for the house--at this time I didn't eat ketchup much, if at all. Not originally being from western PA, I bought the store brand. When I brought said ketchup home, my roommates were appalled at my choice. How dare I buy something other than Heinz. "Really," I thought. "It matters?" Yes, yes it does! Fast foward 15 years and I can only buy Heinz. Everthing else just isn't, well Heinz.

We are like this with clothes, shoes, household items. While I may pick something up here or there, there are a few stores that I go to religiously when I'm in need or want of something new. Honestly, if I can't find it there, I usually just stop looking!

We all have products and services that we bow to in loyalty. I'm totally screwed if Sunshine stops making Cheez Its or Giant Eagle changes their packaging again!