Why Do People Buy Brand Names?

Understanding the motives and interests of your target market helps in making product decisions, developing a store layout and promoting your business. Product resellers must decide what mix of brand name products and generic goods to provide. Consumers generally buy off-brands for price benefits. They buy brand names for a variety of reasons.


People buy brand name products for a variety of reasons. From having good experiences with the brand in the past, to wanting to portray a certain image, many shoppers are extremely loyal to their beloved brands.

Confidence in Experience

Consumers generally buy a product for the first time in hopes that it provides a quality experience. They hope a computer works efficiently and helps them perform personal or work tasks effectively. They buy food hoping for a quality taste or nutritional value. Recognized brand names typically have shown a consistency in product quality that has contributed to the evolution of the brand. Often, consumers rely on prior experiences or public word-of-mouth when selecting brands.

Social Acceptance and Fitting in

People have a desire to fit in, whether at school, work or in social circles. For this reason, people sometimes buy brands because they believe the brands will contribute to greater social acceptance. This is especially true in fashion.

Consumers often buy clothing brands that are either perceived as fashionable, trendy or high class, or that fit into a particular subculture or peer group. The "Keeping up with the Joneses" mentality epitomizes this brand buying motive.

Customer Loyalty to Brands

Over time, consumers develop loyalty to brands that provide a consistent, high-quality experience. Loyalty is essentially an emotional attachment to a brand. Some car buyers have a strong affinity for the Ford brand, while others have a similar commitment to Chevrolet.

Brand loyalty causes customers to inconvenience themselves or spend more for a particular brand. Developing a strong company brand or carrying desired product brands leads to more customer loyalty and long-term business benefits.

Personal or Professional Image

Just as company or product brands have identities, people do as well. Some people buy certain brands to support their personal or professional image. Cutting-edge, tech-savvy consumers buy Apple technology to correlate with a desire to be perceived as "techie." Buying a Lexus or other higher-priced car brand or Armani suits can contribute to your image as a high-class, well-to-do or sophisticated professional.

Brand Fanaticism and Loyalty

When two companies are fierce rivals, fans of one or the other develop fierce loyalty to their choice. They started out preferring it for good reason, whether it was its taste or its look or its fit. Once the big debate began among fans, though, it turned into a brand competition as serious as political party preferences.

Coke vs. Pepsi is a great example. Just watch fans' faces fall when they ask for it in a restaurant and are told they only carry the other brand.