Married to the Brand

Jasvox · 03-03-2012, 03:47 AM

Are you all sure you're not simply slaves to the products you claim to be married to?

Jason

JFN · 03-03-2012, 04:15 AM

We're all turning fashion victims now...

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-01-forum/177510-k-01-party-paris-fashion-week.html

magkelly · 03-03-2012, 06:58 AM

Marriage equals covenant if you're doing it in a religious sense. In my mind it's strictly a legal contract if it's only done in the courthouse and the "God" part is omitted. That's what some people who oppose gay marriage don't seem to get. That they are not necessarily one and the same thing to everyone. There's legal marriage and religious marriage and while you can be doing both at the same time, in either church or courthouse, you can also keep the ceremony in the courthouse strictly about legalities and not have it be about religion.

daacon · 03-03-2012, 07:23 AM

Some interesting thoughts and some way off topic and indeed meant for another forum.

How and why you get married is beyond the scope of this discussion.

Married to the Brand is of course all related on personal experience , how can it not be. I don't thing most of us are swayed by marketing otherwise we would all own Ronco and K-Tel products (ha dating myself somewhat) or all the single people would be calling into those late night chat phone numbers where all the girls look like Megan Fox (there a more recent reference).

The opposite side for me , for example for computers I have had both an Acer and Asus die on me before it's time. The Acer LCD flaked out about 6 minutes after the warranty expired and the Asus was about 6 months after purchase (and as luck would have it I was leaving the country for a few weeks so I absolutely needed a computer so I had to buy another one). So this turned me off these companies permanently , others may have had great experiences with those companies.

I shop at Costco and Sears part of the reason is their return policy and the customer experience I received. We bought a "Sleeping System" (yes that was what the saleslady called it ,to justify the cost I suppose

) many years ago from Sears. When they delivered it , it was the wrong mattress., We called and the next day the right mattress appeared as well as $150 certificate for our inconvenience , impressed me. A Similiar story for a local airline (WestJet - big props pun intended). We had a a bit of a Cluster &#^# on one of our flights, I complained and they responded. A lot of companies just don't get that. Good customer service will bring you back (at least me).

And I agree there is a difference between Married to the Brand vs Preference. I interpret Married to the Brand as a Loyal commitment to the point it is always your first choice and you will make an effort to get that product even if a competing product is more readily accessible.

reeftool · 03-03-2012, 03:08 PM

I can't say I have much loyalty when it comes to computers. I did at the start and that was with Gateway. I still have a 10yr old desktop that runs although obsolete. I bought a Gateway Convertable Tablet for my daughter when she started college on '06 and it lasted the full 4 years and that still works somewhat. Has some missing key caps and the battery is no longer available. Gateway sold themselves to Acer to avoid a hostile takeover in the late 90's. My desktops I now build. I recently bought an HP laptop which has been pretty good so far. I bought it on price alone, a closeout deal at Staples for $349. I also bought an Acer netbook a couple of years ago, again very cheap. Under $200 on a Newegg Shell Shocker deal. I began tinkering with the innards on computers several years ago and found that many had the identical same parts inside. Intel motherboards, WD hard drives, etc and cheap crappy power supplies which was usually the reason I was inside the case to begin with. It's really not difficult to build a desktop tower system. It will probably cost a little more but you will have a much better quality system than a store bought one.

bossa · 03-03-2012, 04:08 PM

Originally posted by daacon

Are you ? I read one of those work books quite a wile ago titled Married to the Brand about how companies go about (and should go about) inserting customer loyalty. This expression came up in a recent conversation and I thought it would make a good general discussion.

Personally there are very very few items I would consider that I am Married to the Brand (at least to the point I would not switch). There are items I prefer , the examples I can think of being "married to the brand" would be

Ipod (I have tried many others and always compare them to an ipod and always come back. This will probably be the only portable media player I will ever own)
Watkins Pepper (I will go out of my way to find this)

A very close relationship (ie: not quite married ha!)
Kraft Peanut Butter (there others I like but if available I will always get Kraft)
Windows Operating System - still drives the corporate world and it's what I do - nothing against Mac or Linux , familiar with both just for me neither of them integrate as well for what I do
Penatx (albeit this is also because I am heavily invested in the glass ) , don;t get me wrong I love my K5 and glass but that does not mean I would not switch at some point.

generally Cars , appliances , electronics, clothes, jewelry, stores , not much else I can think of really - so what's your story ?

Edit: I will admit my wife does most of the shopping so she may have a different story theses are just my opinions.

Your last 'entry' doesn't surprise me... why be married to something that you don't even spell the name of correctly? ;-)

Would you call your wife John if her name was June?

**Douglas_of_Sweden** · 03-03-2012, 05:37 PM

When I drink Whisky, I drink nothing but single malts. Does that count? There are of course many different brands in that field.

Can't say that I'm married to Pentax. I've only used their gear since 1984, I have several Konica SLRs as well, and I even sold a Pentax SLR once...didn't like the K1000...if it had only been available in black.

panoguy · 03-03-2012, 06:29 PM

Apple computers - I've been using them (uninterrupted) since 1981 (Apple ][+ anyone?). Had a few SGIs and a Dell at various times, but never stopped doing most of my personal work on Apples, even when it seemed they were a whisper away from Ch.11... (that's computers - when it comes to phones, I use a BlackBerry)

Jif peanut butter (which is hard to get in Canada - I even smuggle it in from the US!)

Pentax - kind of. Love the stuff today, but I might switch to Nikon if I really get into wildlife photos (never going back to Canon, though!)

Lego - not a hard brand to stick with as they have almost no competition.

Glenfiddich Solera Reserve - I'll try others, but gotta keep stock of that one.

Used to be a big Subaru guy (6 in a row) as well, but they just stopped innovating from 2001-2009 and I had to go with a Hyundai that last year. The Hyundai AWD and quality (not to mention ride, power and mpg) was, and has proven to be, easily equal and better, for much less!

lammie200 · 03-04-2012, 09:48 AM

Lambretta motor scooters.

They were produced from the 50's to 70's. Their major competitor was Piaggio with their Vespas models. Vespas have stamped sheet metal bodies, whereas Lambrettas have tubular steel frames. I have three of them and there is a farily large cult following around the world. So much so that you can buy every single part to restore them online from several places using shopping cart ordering. Not bad for 50-60 year old motor scooters that are usually found rusting in barns! You can also modify them with new parts that help with performance and emissions.

Unfortunately between my day job, a family, and working on our house, I haven't the time for them right now. Two of mine are the flagship collector models. They both need work. The other one is my daily rider that I built out of spare parts. However, I still have a couple of weeks worth of work to get it on the road. I am trying to make plans to finish it after I put the final touches on a spiral stair that I built a few months ago. I will post some pics when I pick up the wrenches again.

I also prefer certain brands of guitar strings. Rickenbacker sets for my 12 string electric even though my guitar is a Danelectro. Martin string sets for my acoustics, one of which is a Martin. Anything for my 6 string electric but I buy those one-by-one in specific gauges.

reeftool · 03-05-2012, 10:40 AM

Products change too. I drank Maxwell House coffee for years and all of a sudden, it started tasting bitter. I started trying different brands and it seemed like every time I find one I like, it disappears from the store soon after.

daacon · 03-05-2012, 03:37 PM

Originally posted by bossa

Your last 'entry' doesn't surprise me... why be married to something that you don't even spell the name of correctly? ;-)

Would you call your wife John if her name was June?

Speeling is not my forte nor do I usually make much effort to correct - I know if drives some nuts but I'am ok with it

I speak better than I type thank gawd ....

bossa · 03-05-2012, 03:40 PM

Originally posted by daacon

Speeling is not my forte nor do I usually make much effort to correct - I know if drives some nuts but I'am ok with it

I speak better than I type thank gawd ....

I was only using your misspelling of PENTAX as an excuse to make a wisecrack.. it wasn't personal at all.

reeftool · 03-06-2012, 12:16 AM

Some of us are very fond of Hooked on Fonix

RioRico · 03-06-2012, 03:03 AM

Originally posted by reeftool

Sum ov uss arr vary fond ov Huked on Fonix

Fixed.

daacon · 03-06-2012, 05:16 AM

Originally posted by bossa

I was only using your misspelling of PENTAX as an excuse to make a wisecrack.. it wasn't personal at all.

No worries I never even noticed that

Serioulsy though you should read some of my emails over the years. In fairness I learned to type programming so some pretty bizare syntax with the various languages.

i once sent one to this co-worker named Gerhard - well spell check was on and it decided that Gerhard should really be Gazelle and I sent it - it's a bad combination , weak speller , phat fingers and my brain works much faster than my fingers (so sometimes I may miss some really key words in a sentance)

03-03-2012, 06:29 PM	#68
panoguy Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Washington, D.C. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,327	Apple computers - I've been using them (uninterrupted) since 1981 (Apple ][+ anyone?). Had a few SGIs and a Dell at various times, but never stopped doing most of my personal work on Apples, even when it seemed they were a whisper away from Ch.11... (that's computers - when it comes to phones, I use a BlackBerry) Jif peanut butter (which is hard to get in Canada - I even smuggle it in from the US!) Pentax - kind of. Love the stuff today, but I might switch to Nikon if I really get into wildlife photos (never going back to Canon, though!) Lego - not a hard brand to stick with as they have almost no competition. Glenfiddich Solera Reserve - I'll try others, but gotta keep stock of that one. Used to be a big Subaru guy (6 in a row) as well, but they just stopped innovating from 2001-2009 and I had to go with a Hyundai that last year. The Hyundai AWD and quality (not to mention ride, power and mpg) was, and has proven to be, easily equal and better, for much less! Last edited by panoguy; 03-04-2012 at 06:39 AM.

03-04-2012, 09:48 AM	#69
lammie200 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: San Francisco Photos: Albums Posts: 1,033	Hobby dominates Lambretta motor scooters. They were produced from the 50's to 70's. Their major competitor was Piaggio with their Vespas models. Vespas have stamped sheet metal bodies, whereas Lambrettas have tubular steel frames. I have three of them and there is a farily large cult following around the world. So much so that you can buy every single part to restore them online from several places using shopping cart ordering. Not bad for 50-60 year old motor scooters that are usually found rusting in barns! You can also modify them with new parts that help with performance and emissions. Unfortunately between my day job, a family, and working on our house, I haven't the time for them right now. Two of mine are the flagship collector models. They both need work. The other one is my daily rider that I built out of spare parts. However, I still have a couple of weeks worth of work to get it on the road. I am trying to make plans to finish it after I put the final touches on a spiral stair that I built a few months ago. I will post some pics when I pick up the wrenches again. I also prefer certain brands of guitar strings. Rickenbacker sets for my 12 string electric even though my guitar is a Danelectro. Martin string sets for my acoustics, one of which is a Martin. Anything for my 6 string electric but I buy those one-by-one in specific gauges. Last edited by lammie200; 03-04-2012 at 12:34 PM.

03-06-2012, 03:03 AM	#74
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	Originally posted by reeftool Sum ov uss arr vary fond ov Huked on Fonix Fixed. Last edited by RioRico; 03-06-2012 at 06:07 PM.

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03-03-2012, 03:47 AM	#61
Jasvox Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 3,107	Are you all sure you're not simply slaves to the products you claim to be married to? Jason

03-03-2012, 04:15 AM	#62
JFN Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Golfe du Lion Photos: Gallery Posts: 362	We're all turning fashion victims now... https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-01-forum/177510-k-01-party-paris-fashion-week.html

03-03-2012, 06:58 AM	#63
magkelly Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,901	Marriage equals covenant if you're doing it in a religious sense. In my mind it's strictly a legal contract if it's only done in the courthouse and the "God" part is omitted. That's what some people who oppose gay marriage don't seem to get. That they are not necessarily one and the same thing to everyone. There's legal marriage and religious marriage and while you can be doing both at the same time, in either church or courthouse, you can also keep the ceremony in the courthouse strictly about legalities and not have it be about religion.

03-03-2012, 07:23 AM	#64
daacon Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Alberta,Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 20,914 Original Poster	Some interesting thoughts and some way off topic and indeed meant for another forum. How and why you get married is beyond the scope of this discussion. Married to the Brand is of course all related on personal experience , how can it not be. I don't thing most of us are swayed by marketing otherwise we would all own Ronco and K-Tel products (ha dating myself somewhat) or all the single people would be calling into those late night chat phone numbers where all the girls look like Megan Fox (there a more recent reference). The opposite side for me , for example for computers I have had both an Acer and Asus die on me before it's time. The Acer LCD flaked out about 6 minutes after the warranty expired and the Asus was about 6 months after purchase (and as luck would have it I was leaving the country for a few weeks so I absolutely needed a computer so I had to buy another one). So this turned me off these companies permanently , others may have had great experiences with those companies. I shop at Costco and Sears part of the reason is their return policy and the customer experience I received. We bought a "Sleeping System" (yes that was what the saleslady called it ,to justify the cost I suppose ) many years ago from Sears. When they delivered it , it was the wrong mattress., We called and the next day the right mattress appeared as well as $150 certificate for our inconvenience , impressed me. A Similiar story for a local airline (WestJet - big props pun intended). We had a a bit of a Cluster &#^# on one of our flights, I complained and they responded. A lot of companies just don't get that. Good customer service will bring you back (at least me). And I agree there is a difference between Married to the Brand vs Preference. I interpret Married to the Brand as a Loyal commitment to the point it is always your first choice and you will make an effort to get that product even if a competing product is more readily accessible.

03-03-2012, 03:08 PM	#65
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,554	I can't say I have much loyalty when it comes to computers. I did at the start and that was with Gateway. I still have a 10yr old desktop that runs although obsolete. I bought a Gateway Convertable Tablet for my daughter when she started college on '06 and it lasted the full 4 years and that still works somewhat. Has some missing key caps and the battery is no longer available. Gateway sold themselves to Acer to avoid a hostile takeover in the late 90's. My desktops I now build. I recently bought an HP laptop which has been pretty good so far. I bought it on price alone, a closeout deal at Staples for $349. I also bought an Acer netbook a couple of years ago, again very cheap. Under $200 on a Newegg Shell Shocker deal. I began tinkering with the innards on computers several years ago and found that many had the identical same parts inside. Intel motherboards, WD hard drives, etc and cheap crappy power supplies which was usually the reason I was inside the case to begin with. It's really not difficult to build a desktop tower system. It will probably cost a little more but you will have a much better quality system than a store bought one.

03-03-2012, 04:08 PM	#66
bossa Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Adelaide Posts: 4,546	Originally posted by daacon Are you ? I read one of those work books quite a wile ago titled Married to the Brand about how companies go about (and should go about) inserting customer loyalty. This expression came up in a recent conversation and I thought it would make a good general discussion. Personally there are very very few items I would consider that I am Married to the Brand (at least to the point I would not switch). There are items I prefer , the examples I can think of being "married to the brand" would be Ipod (I have tried many others and always compare them to an ipod and always come back. This will probably be the only portable media player I will ever own) Watkins Pepper (I will go out of my way to find this) A very close relationship (ie: not quite married ha!) Kraft Peanut Butter (there others I like but if available I will always get Kraft) Windows Operating System - still drives the corporate world and it's what I do - nothing against Mac or Linux , familiar with both just for me neither of them integrate as well for what I do Penatx (albeit this is also because I am heavily invested in the glass ) , don;t get me wrong I love my K5 and glass but that does not mean I would not switch at some point. generally Cars , appliances , electronics, clothes, jewelry, stores , not much else I can think of really - so what's your story ? Edit: I will admit my wife does most of the shopping so she may have a different story theses are just my opinions. Your last 'entry' doesn't surprise me... why be married to something that you don't even spell the name of correctly? ;-) Would you call your wife John if her name was June?

03-03-2012, 05:37 PM	#67
Douglas_of_Sweden Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Stockholm Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,374	When I drink Whisky, I drink nothing but single malts. Does that count? There are of course many different brands in that field. Can't say that I'm married to Pentax. I've only used their gear since 1984, I have several Konica SLRs as well, and I even sold a Pentax SLR once...didn't like the K1000...if it had only been available in black.

03-05-2012, 10:40 AM	#70
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,554	Products change too. I drank Maxwell House coffee for years and all of a sudden, it started tasting bitter. I started trying different brands and it seemed like every time I find one I like, it disappears from the store soon after.

03-05-2012, 03:37 PM	#71
daacon Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Alberta,Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 20,914 Original Poster	Originally posted by bossa Your last 'entry' doesn't surprise me... why be married to something that you don't even spell the name of correctly? ;-) Would you call your wife John if her name was June? Speeling is not my forte nor do I usually make much effort to correct - I know if drives some nuts but I'am ok with it I speak better than I type thank gawd ....

03-05-2012, 03:40 PM	#72
bossa Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Adelaide Posts: 4,546	Originally posted by daacon Speeling is not my forte nor do I usually make much effort to correct - I know if drives some nuts but I'am ok with it I speak better than I type thank gawd .... I was only using your misspelling of PENTAX as an excuse to make a wisecrack.. it wasn't personal at all.

03-06-2012, 12:16 AM	#73
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,554	Some of us are very fond of Hooked on Fonix

03-06-2012, 05:16 AM	#75
daacon Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Alberta,Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 20,914 Original Poster	Originally posted by bossa I was only using your misspelling of PENTAX as an excuse to make a wisecrack.. it wasn't personal at all. No worries I never even noticed that Serioulsy though you should read some of my emails over the years. In fairness I learned to type programming so some pretty bizare syntax with the various languages. i once sent one to this co-worker named Gerhard - well spell check was on and it decided that Gerhard should really be Gazelle and I sent it - it's a bad combination , weak speller , phat fingers and my brain works much faster than my fingers (so sometimes I may miss some really key words in a sentance)