Of Brand Loyalty

Are you or anyone you know of loyal to certain brands? Is it the quality, the image, the association with someone famous or the extra little touches that pull you to your brand of choice? Or is it simply because the brand has been used and trusted by your family for generations? Some people I know of swear by Electrolux washing machine. Others prefer Gucci handbags. And then there’s someone who only takes Del Monte tomato ketchup. No, Maggi or Kimball is not good enough for him. I make a cursory glance at my personal skincare products and realise that in this area, I have yet to decide on a particular brand to stick to. I often get tired of a product even before using it half way through. The excitement and anticipation that the product will do wonders to my skin, which is why I buy it in the first place dissipate barely a couple of weeks after usage. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem in staying loyal to one brand, provided that it delivers what it promises. Otherwise, my purchases just depend on my whim and fancy and how generous (or stingy) I feel at that particular time. I also notice that most of my make up and skin care are courtesy of warehouse sales. There’s Lancome from a warehouse sale, Neutrogena and J&J from another warehouse sale, and Revlon and Avene from the most recent warehouse sale. Last night my DH went through the cabinet where I store the toiletries and he was shocked to find that we have so many bottles of kids’ shampoos. I explained to him that I bought some of it by mistake during the J&J warehouse sale because I thought they were shower gels. You should go to the J&J warehouse sale to understand why I just grabbed what catches my eye without even reading the labels. A warning though, don’t go if you’re not used to shoving, pushing and standing in a long queue under the scorching sun. In certain respect, I do exhibit some degree of brand loyalty. I (almost) always buy J&J products and sudo crem for DD, kicap kipas udang and colgate toothpaste. I’m also hoping though that one day, I will find the perfect product for my skin that I can stay loyal to.