Do you find yourself automatically buying brands that you grew up with? I do. My mom was a firm believer that Best Foods is the best mayo. My dad, a former dentist, trusted Crest.
This is called brand loyalty. More specifically generational transfer of brand loyalty.
When I got married I was appalled to discover my husband’s family and mine didn’t share the same brands. It was a battle I mostly won — with the exception of laundry and bath soap. I came from a Cheer family, my husband used Tide. I was raised to believe that “All Temp A Cheer” was a superior product. My husband has sensitive skin and can only tolerate Tide. Now we use Tide Free & Gentle.
Investopedia had some highlights about why brand loyalty is so vital to companies. Here’s an excerpt:
As Harvard Business Review (HBR) has reported, companies with high scores on two often-overlooked (and closely related) market research metrics—brand loyalty and customer loyalty—not only grow revenues 2.5 times faster than industry peers, but also deliver two to five times the returns to shareholders over 10-year time frames.1 The fact that brand loyalty—a long-term commitment to make repeat purchases of a particular brand—is not dependent on price makes this metric a particularly powerful driver of both profit and profitability (i.e., profit relative to expenses).
The primary reason that brand loyalty is so important to profitability is straightforward: 65% of revenue in most companies comes from repeat business with existing clients.2 Not only do existing customers loyal to brands purchase 90% more frequently than new customers, but maintaining the brand-loyal segment is also far less expensive than marketing to attract new customers.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brand-loyalty.asp
Here are some of the brands I grew up with that I still use today:
Best Foods
Heinz
Diet Coke
Crest
Cascade
Starbucks
Quaker Oats oatmeal
Lucerne Cottage Cheese
Here are products I’ve given up:
Wonder Bread
Cocoa Puffs
Campbell’s Soup
Chef Boyardee
Dial Soap
Cheer
Joy
What are some of your generational brands? What products or brands have you left?
I only have one “brand” loyalty…Fossil. That is the brand of my wallet. Well, actually, I am not loyal to that brand, just the wallet part, and more specifically, what is in it. My loyalty when it comes to shopping can be condensed into a single word” “budget”. Yeah, I am fiercely loyal to that.
We don’t buy much like we used to when our kids were young and swimming. Thank goodness.
Did you know that Best Foods is on the West coast and Hellman’s is in the Midwest. SAME mayo, different names. Someone told me this when I moved back to Midwest and was looking for Best Foods mayo. TRUE, we still with the brands we know. Back then they were marketed so well, it’s what we did. NOW, they’ve changed the branding for Land-o-Lake butter and Aunt Jemima syrup. who wants to buy syrup called, “Pearl Milling Company?” Wish they had been more creative.
I didn’t know that about Hellman’s mayo. It’s a shame about Aunt Jemima. I was so fascinated with that bottle when I was young.
I have gone to mostly generic brands because they cost less and are exactly the same as brand names- often made or processed in the same plants. I truly think the only product I have that is a carry over from my childhood is mayo and it is Best Foods since I’m west coast.
I like Best Foods too. There is such a different taste in mayos, like Kraft tastes sour to me.
Yes, I can’t be a Kraft person nor would I ever accept Miracle Whip (if that’s even still around)
Yikes. I forgot about Miracle Whip. That’a NO!
Over here there are few brands, all/ most have the same parent company behind them. We go for the one cheapest.
Interesting that there aren’t many brands. Here we have too many!
We have many brands but one company is making an expensive product and at the same time a cheaper product too. You can choose either because at the end of the day, they aren’t much different
👍🏼
There are only a few things that we are brand sensitive to. Has to be Jif peanut butter for my husband and he was having an awful time when there was the recall on it. Kraft Mac and Cheese is another. I like my Mac and all Apple products and we are a Honda family but other than that, give me the cheapest.
I am with you on Kraft Mac and Cheese — although Trader Joe’s has amazing frozen mac. As for Apple, I got my first Mac in 1992 and got my latest one in June!
I have to use CoffeeMate for my Creamer and Best Foods or Kraft for my Mayonnaise. Unlike most, I like Miracle Whip but only on certain things. I also am a definite follower of Coca-Cola Classic.
I am definitely a Coca-cola person over Pepsi.
My husband is hugely a brand loyalist. I mostly buy what’s on sale! I have a few brands I stick with like Folgers, Best Foods, Oreo, and Tillamook Cheese. Hugs, C
My mom and dad were Yuban coffee drinkers. Then when I was around 10, they discovered Starbucks. We’d buy it at the first Starbucks at Pike Place Market. I still buy Starbucks. It’s the first coffee I drank.
Dukes, Hellmans mayo are my go to and not substitute need apply. Pocketbooks-don’t need a Coach as long as it suits me.
I did discover in the comments that Hellmans and Best Food are the same. I never knew that.
No sub need apply.
I’m with you.
I figured out pretty early in our marriage that the battle lines had been drawn. In one corner it was Diet Pepsi, Cheerios, and Crest; in the other corner, Diet Coke, Frosted Flakes, and Colgate. I won the soda battle, mainly because my wife doesn’t drink, she prefers tea. I lost the toothpaste battle. We use Colgate. And the cereal battle, we don’t eat either now, it’s shredded wheat, greek yogurt or oatmeal. I guess that’s a pretty good win percentage. Interesting post.
It’s funny how husbands and wives have to settle the brand loyalty. We stopped with cereal too.
Hellmans Mayo and Heinz ketchup but that’s really my husband. I don’t use ketchup unless I’m making a dressing or sauce, and I’d use anything. I tend to buy Crest, but more because it comes in a stand up container and I hate tubes. Tide. But otherwise im not really brand loyal to a fault. Like I normally use Olay skincare but I tried No 7 night cream…
Those are the brand we use, so you guys have good taste. 🙂
😉