241) To You I'll Be True

(Image from James Kurtz.)

Here's an exercise for you guys. Sit down and make a list of brands to which you are loyal. Sure, you may deviate if another brand is provided for you, but when it comes to spending your money, which are the brands that you continually use year after year?

The easiest category to think of is packaged goods - anything you would find in a drug or grocery store. Product categories that generally have a level playing field - all things equal, including relative price. The requirement isn't that you buy them every single time. It's the brands that you keep coming back to, the old faithfuls, the go-tos. Not, "if I do indulge in this, I choose..." since everyone can name their favorite fillintheblank. List the brands that you buy and use regularly in your daily life (the exercise is getting more and more demanding, I know).

Here's my list*:
- St. Ives
- Pantene Pro V
- Aquafresh
- Degree
- Alcon Opti-Free
- Brita

*A few outliers that could also be included on my list - Apple, Google and Facebook, and Verizon. Apple because its an infrequent, big ticket item. Google and Facebook because I don't think they have any competition in their respective fields. Verizon because I'm still part of a family plan (though I'd stick with it if I wasn't).

Given the number of brands I come into contact with, all the advertising and emphasis on building brand loyalty, that's not a very long list. Sure, some people's will be longer. Some will have had the experience of buying multiple cars in their lifetime, and can name a car brand to which they've been true. Or some may be more particular about food brands they eat (these days I'm at the mercy of what work provides, and other thrifty factors). Some will have a go-to coffee chain that they visit every day.

My point is that I get the feeling that brand loyalty is far more elusive than we make it out to be. It's tossed around as this grandiose concept, an ultimate goal of marketing and advertising. But how many brands that touch our daily lives are we actually loyal to?

Make your list and email it to me at natalieyoungkim(at)gmail.com if you feel so inclined.