The Brand Name Wars
Sunday 27 September, 2009 - 135 ViewsBrand name products are one of the plagues of our times.
Buying brand name products means dissipating resource we can hardly afford.
The people promoting brand name products successfully lead us to believe that a product associated with a brand is better than the generic version of the same product. The problem is that most of the times it just isn't true, or the added value is greatly exaggerated and this basically means we are swindled into buying something for a price much higher of its real value.
“Modern value-creation branding-and-advertising campaigns are highly successful at inducing consumers to pay, for example, 50 dollars for a T-shirt that cost a mere 50 cents to make, or 5 dollars for a box of breakfast cereal that contains a few cents' worth of wheat.“ (Wikipedia)
The moment we understand that brand name products are a plague and should be avoided well, “as the plague” the quality of our life dramatically increases.
If we buy for 5 dollars a “generic” T-shirt instead of buying a brand name one for 50 dollars, we save 45 dollars that we can better use buying something else.
Chances are that we will always find a generic T-shirt for 5 dollars of exactly the same quality (if not better quality) than the 50 dollars brand name T-shirt.
A common supermarket experience is that two absolutely identical products, even produced in the same factory are packed in two different ways, branded and generic, with a huge difference in price.
Being aware of brand swindling can save us in one year a very large amount of money.
Almost everything we buy is branded, and almost everything we buy can be found in a generic version of more or less the same quality.
If we save just a little for every item we buy, in the end of the year we can save enough money for something we can really enjoy, a holiday per example.
What is better? To spend more money in a brand name product or to spend a nice relaxing day on the beach?
To spend more money in a brand name product or to spend one more evening out having fun?
Step by step
1) Realize that for every brand name product there is another one nearby of more or less the same quality available for a much better price.
2) Realize that almost everything is branded. If you are a traveller you will know that the same brands of almost every product are for sale on the for corners of the globe under the same name or a slightly similar name. This means that a bunch of multinational companies are getting a share of our money almost every time we buy something.
3) Start to think to alternative things you can buy and enjoy with the savings. Give a target to your savings: at the end of the month per example, put the money you have saved into a holiday found.
4) Start buying in a informed way. Start trying out generic products, then go back buying brand name products only if the difference in quality makes it worth the additional cost. Always remember that every Euro or dollar you save can be better used in your holiday found.
Don't be afraid to spend a bit more time in doing your shopping, do it very carefully: your holidays depend on it!
