Third Blog

For my third blog, I would like to discuss Deuze’s concept of buying name brand products over generic ones when he says on pg. 47 of how “People seem to be quite comfortable choosing brands, logos, and designs that somehow mean something to them (and their social networks) although without necessarily always choosing to buy the best or most useful product,” and compare his notions with those of Joel Lewis, a quality assurance inspector.

     In Lewis’ article: Is a name brand product always better than a generic, Lewis discusses the act of buying name brand over generic as well as why. Like Deuze, Lewis agrees that there is a compulsion to buy name brand over generic “just because of advertising and fear of being embarrassed by having a "Generic" branded item while their friends enjoy Name Branded items.” Also, like Deuze, Lewis says that people are not always buying the best product, but also believes that it is relative to what is being bought.

     Lewis says that when you are buying groceries, it’s better to buy generic because it all comes from the same farm or factories. If the product is clothing, Lewis says that name brand is the way to go because even though sometimes you are just paying for the label on the clothing, most times the name brand clothes are more durable and last longer than a generic counterpart. Same goes with electronics. Lewis says that the name brand products are generally more durable and last longer than the generics, but also points out that the price difference in electronics between name brand and generic will usually mean that the price that you pay will often be the same in the long run.

     What all this says to me is that although sometimes consumers are led to a purchase based solely on the name brand, it is not without merit. It is true that name brand products are more expensive than the generics, but because they are more expensive, they generate more money in sales. This higher revenue can then be used to buy better materials and higher quality control which will ultimately lead to a better, more durable product. Then there are the companies who own the name brand. That name brand is bringing the company a great deal of profit and the companies do not want to hurt the reputation of the name brand which would hurt sales. This is why they generally strive to have a product that lives up to the reputation of the brand name.

So, just because a product is name brand does not mean it is not just an overpriced label; it is more than likely an overall better product because it will have more invested in it.