Is Brand Loyalty Costing You Cash?

Happy families on television, successful business people in print, smiling children online: these images are designed to sell you on a particular brand and more often than not have nothing to do with the product itself. If you choose a breakfast cereal that is tasty, healthy and affordable, you’re making a great choice based on the product. Choose based on the slick advertising campaign, and you’re overspending just for a name.

On the surface, school rewards programs that offer books, equipment or money for box tops are good for your school and community — but look again. These programs are created by big brands’ marketing departments, not charitable organizations, to win over consumers who imagine that they are philanthropic and community-minded. The idea is that your child will ask for a preferred brand of soup, cereal or packaged goods not because it tastes good but because they feel like they’re helping out. By building brand loyalty at an early age, big manufacturers are trying to influence your children’s buying habits for years to come

Humans are visual creatures, and marketers know that. That’s why packaging comes in so many colors and styles: they’re all designed specifically to make you reach for your wallet. Here’s an experiment for you to try: the next time you go to the store, instead of reaching for your usual brand, try the less appealing-looking store brand. For some foods, like cheese, a brand name means quality, but a lot of the time, the generic version is identical to their costlier counterparts. The only thing that’s really different is the packaging. Spices, salt and basic baking supplies in particular are heavily marketed, but there’s very little variation across brands. Make sure that if you’re buying name brands, it’s because of taste and quality, not because of how they look.

Companies invest millions every year to investigate brand loyalty and identify ways to influence your choices. The more they can get you to identify with the lifestyle they promote, the more likely it is you’ll buy their product, even if the extra cost doesn’t translate into extra value. Knowing about these sneaky marketing tricks can help you make the best choices for your budget and your family.