The Loyal Consumer
And so begins the holiday season, which brings Santa to town, eggnog spiked with too much rum, and a festive new slew of advertisements. This is the time of year when people tend to stop shopping for themselves and begin shopping for others, but it still seems like the right time of year for a little experiment.
The way ads and TV commercials run, it seems a lot of marketers believe that human beings are little fact-processing machines. I'm constantly amazed by how many ads proclaim a superior product or service over their competitors, as though consumers would be receptive to facts and consider switching their brands.
Don't drink Coke; drink Pepsi.
Truth is, people don't think through (small) purchase decisions like rational creatures. We're all too busy for that. When we shop for groceries, we generally buy what we've always bought. We buy the same cereal, same soda, and same brand of raisins, time after time.
We shop out of habit, not thought.
Habit is a powerful force, and it drives most of what we do each and every day, and this (not advertising) in turn drives most brand loyalty. So here's an idea: for a month, try being brand adverse instead of brand loyal. Yep, you always go to Starbucks, but try going to a few different coffee shops and ordering your drink du rigeur. Get Tecate instead of Corona. Look at your own habits and try to shake them up.
If you do it for a month, chances are good you'll fall back into your usual rut, but it does offer perspective. You may fall into some new habits, too.
The way ads and TV commercials run, it seems a lot of marketers believe that human beings are little fact-processing machines. I'm constantly amazed by how many ads proclaim a superior product or service over their competitors, as though consumers would be receptive to facts and consider switching their brands.
Don't drink Coke; drink Pepsi.
Truth is, people don't think through (small) purchase decisions like rational creatures. We're all too busy for that. When we shop for groceries, we generally buy what we've always bought. We buy the same cereal, same soda, and same brand of raisins, time after time.
We shop out of habit, not thought.
Habit is a powerful force, and it drives most of what we do each and every day, and this (not advertising) in turn drives most brand loyalty. So here's an idea: for a month, try being brand adverse instead of brand loyal. Yep, you always go to Starbucks, but try going to a few different coffee shops and ordering your drink du rigeur. Get Tecate instead of Corona. Look at your own habits and try to shake them up.
If you do it for a month, chances are good you'll fall back into your usual rut, but it does offer perspective. You may fall into some new habits, too.