What''s in a "name?"
- Thread starter Harriet
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neatfreak
Super_Ideal_Rock
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Let''s see...I think name recognition is huge, first within the industry/selected consumers, and then outside it. And I think it has to do with a certain consistent label being applied to goods from that store/person, regardless of what that label is. As someone mentioned before Wal-Mart means cheap goods at cheap prices. Target on the other hand is known as a better quality Wal-Mart with slightly higher prices. And I think those viewpoints are fairly consistent if you were to interview 100 people, which to me says there is brand recognition, which is what really makes a brand from someone trying to brand themselves IMO.
And I think it radiates out from the insiders/locals/industry to the general consumer. Of course people who are very involved with an industry are going to know the vendors with the highest quality, lowest prices, best melee, before the general public does.
Deelight
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Technically even non brands can be perceived as brands, and brands do not necessarily necessitate that something need to be expensive/have status or of great quality.
Kmart has it''s own brands for instance but I wouldn''t deem it to have status (not that there is anything wrong with clothes from Kmart I shop there for all my bonds stuff *puffy heart my bonds*), as do generic brands in the supermarket they are branded items that are sold under a particular grouping.
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hi Harriet!
i think, in a word, what makes a brand is marketing. a product or service can be marketed to consumers at large, a specific group, or within an industry. once it is recognizable amoungst those which it seeks to proffer itself to, it becomes a successful brand, IMO.
i hope you don''t mind, Harriet, but i would like to segue into the other issue this has brought about.
a brand can be positioned in the marketplace in a variety of ways - as an economical choice, a luxury choice, a status choice (as Beau seems to suggest all branded items are positioned), a quality choice, a responsible choice, a reliable choice, etc. a brand can be marketed to appeal to a variety of incomes/price points. brands are not just for the so-called luxury producers out there. i feel it is very shortsighted - in Beau''s case it was offensive - to judge someone for choosing that which meets their needs and suits their budgets whether the choice is towards economy OR towards luxury.
Beau, you said your post was simply saying you could get the same look and save money. i agree that your first post did this quite effectively. however, when someone thanked you for that perspective, you were off and running saying that those who purchase branded items are keeping up with the jones. then you took it further and insinuated those who purchased branded items aren''t ''real''. you could have kept it simple but you chose not to. hence, you''ve been called out on it.
all that being said, i have a ring by leon and no one in my circle would have a clue who he is even if it wore a little sign that said ''leon made me!''. to me, it presented a value - it was exactly what i was looking for, it offered me the assurance of impeccable quality thanks to leon''s reputation, AND it cost less than comparable rings i was looking at and was well within our budget. in the end, i bought it for me and me alone. i leave the jones to worry about their own purchases. i''m pretty real that way.
One and all,
Thanks for the debate.
Hi Rainydaze,
Please free to expand the discussion. Are you saying that this argument is unsound?: "Being real requires not buying branded goods. Therefore, if one buys branded goods, one is not real." I'd like to know how the word "real" is being used here and from where the primary assumption appeared. Perhaps, we're no more than Kantian phenomena?
P.S. I realise that this makes no sense, but I'm trying to make as much sense of the original argument as I can.
Thanks for the debate.
Hi Rainydaze,
Please free to expand the discussion. Are you saying that this argument is unsound?: "Being real requires not buying branded goods. Therefore, if one buys branded goods, one is not real." I'd like to know how the word "real" is being used here and from where the primary assumption appeared. Perhaps, we're no more than Kantian phenomena?
P.S. I realise that this makes no sense, but I'm trying to make as much sense of the original argument as I can.
Maisie
Super_Ideal_Rock
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I think its probably a case of wind them up and watch them go. I think the comments were unneccesary and written to irritate posters. I don''t like that at all.Date: 11/23/2008 9:54:59 AM
Author: beau13
I feel I have no reason to clarify what you may have misunderstood. ThanksDate: 11/23/2008 9:09:36 AM
Author: gwendolyn
The disagreement wasn''t necessarily in your point (which may be true in some cases) but more in the dismissive, superior attitude shown in your vocabulary choice regarding some PS members (i.e. the ones who are not ''real''). Please feel free to respond to my questions and the other questions posed to you in that thread to clarify any misunderstanding that may have occurred.Date: 11/23/2008 8:36:54 AM
Author: beau13
I don''t see any disagreement going on there..
I think THAT thread contains posts that try to get this point across..
People (in general) can''t look at a ring and determine the maker of the ring (whether it be Leon, Tiffany, Cartier, or an E-bay Vendor). Not while on a finger anyway. YES..some PS''ers could remove it from the finger and closely inspect it..then determine. MY post was simply saying, one could save a whole lot of money getting the same look with a non-designer ring. PERIOD! Some readers over analyze, and dig too deep for something that just isn''t there.
Apologies, Harriet, for the off-topic post in your thread. Won''t happen again.
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My first thought about brands were BANDAID and KLEENEX. Both are specific brands but the consumer goes to the store and may buy a different "brand" of bandaid or kleenex. Same goes with COKE or TIFFANY. Some may want the real product while others choose a close imitation. But when we see someone who wants a "Tiffany" knife edge ring, they may be really saying they want one that looks like the real thing. So is a designer a brand by itself or does the designer become a brand when someone sees an item that looks like something they would make and lots of knockoffs ensue?
Beacon
Ideal_Rock
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Name recognition makes a brand, as does product recognition. The relevence of such recognition is reflected in the penetration your brand has with people who might be buyers of your product. In other words, sheer name recognition is not the end all, many people have heard of WalMart who have never been inside one and will never buy anything there. So just knowing the name does not yield any profit to Wal Mart in this example.
Most people have not heard of Lawrence Graff, but his name is well known by people who might be able to buy from him. Ditto JAR, who virtually no one would recognize, but has one of the most successful names at the ulta high end. Does it matter that his name recognition is nil amongst the average American? Not so much.
I do believe jewelry can have an immediately recognizable look. Schlumberger and David Yurman come to mind instantly.
Most people have not heard of Lawrence Graff, but his name is well known by people who might be able to buy from him. Ditto JAR, who virtually no one would recognize, but has one of the most successful names at the ulta high end. Does it matter that his name recognition is nil amongst the average American? Not so much.
I do believe jewelry can have an immediately recognizable look. Schlumberger and David Yurman come to mind instantly.
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