Both of those groups of people are chumps.
Loyalty to a brandwhether its love or hatredis a poison that makes you stupid.
Youve probably experienced this, too.
We all have that friend who only buys Apple products because theyre just better designed or more reliable.
Once youre in that mindset, its difficult to leave.
If you really need it, we can sell you an adapter.For $79.
Instead, that loyalty forces you to contort your needs into whatever shape that company gives you.
They tell you what to buy, instead of the other way around.
Companies dont justwantyou to stand up and defend them,they depend on it.
Youd figure people would hang tight and wait.
Its a perfect example of brand dictating the buy.
People waited in the cold becauseits Nintendo.They trusted the company, and the promise of the brand.
They felt like they were part of something big, despite the facts.
Buying now would be considered a smart purchase.
Buying then made you an early adopter, or a polite way of saying unpaid beta tester.
Theres a reason we get sucked into this.
We identify with people who buy the same things we do.
If youve ever waded into a flame war between PlayStation and Xbox faithful, you know what I mean.
Well, sure they dobut so do a lot of companies, and we forget that almost instantly.
Because it was rightfor us, we assume, it must beright, period.
Theresno shortage of researchthat points to the notion thatpurchasing and self-identity are linked.
Brand Loyalty Makes Products Worse
This psychology isnt just about making you love a company you patronize.
Its also about making sure you hate the competition, or any alternatives in the same field.
But those companies dont like competition.
Blind loyalty (and blind hatred) discourages us from demanding better products from the companies we patronize.
If their customers arent capable of being skeptical, why should they?
Competition matters, and it drives everyone forward.
Where would the iPhone be if Android hadnt pushed them forward on multitasking, or the notification center?
Andwhere would Android beif iOS hadntshown up and changed the smartphone gamein the first place?
And youre not even getting paid for your service.
Every companys PR and marketing strategy relies on this to some extent.
No one wins here, except the company youre defending for no good reason.
you could do better.
Illustration by Jim Cooke.
Additional images byJoy of TechandKris Straub (Chainsawsuit).
