Attachment to Brand Names

FTA69

The other day I was watching a show about budgeting and one particular family when doing their weekly shop would only buy brand name products which as such drove up the price massively. It reminded me of my ex who was pretty much the same and if I didn't buy a certain brand of ketchup or orange juice or cereal she'd go spare - I never used to notice the difference and tend not to eat stuff that comes in packets anyway.

For instance I got some face wash in Lidl the other day for a pound, and also have a Nivea one that cost me £4; I mean is the latter going to make my face 400% cleaner at the end of the day?

Besides the odd exception, I find the supermarket stuff is nearly always the same as the brand name stuff on offer and any slight difference is worth it when you figure the cost difference. The only brand stuff I get is Barry's Tea and truth be told that's probably for nostalgic reasons more than anything. Are we completely shaped by advertising to the point people will spend four times as much for essentially the same product?

Or am I just a tasteless bastard who'll eat anything?

mansize

Kellogg's Corn Flakes- can't find one that tastes as nice

Fairy Washing Up liquid- excellent value and excellent cleaning - proven independently

Skylinehead

FTA69 wrote: »

Or am I just a tasteless bastard who'll eat anything?

Yes because you drink Barrys

Ted111

FTA69 wrote: »

Or am I just a tasteless bastard ?

Absolutely. Lyons Tea.

FTA69

Smell of Dub of the pair of ye.

My mother works in a creamery where they make butter.

It's then packaged in lots of different packing for the different buyers. ( ie different brand names, supermarkets)

Ted111

FTA69 wrote: »

Smell of Dub of the pair of ye.

Can I borrow some of that soap off you, you bought in the 99c store.

FTA69

Milk is another one. I used to work in sales for Glanbia (or agents of) and they basically sell the same product branded or unbranded with different price tags. It's gas hearing people decry the various benefits of Avonmore over Snocream over CMP etc but the reality is that it's all the same f*cking milk at the end of the day yet they'll pay 50% more for it.

The Backwards Man

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

It's a well known fact that Grant's vodka tastes much better in a Smirnoff bottle than it does in a Huzzar bottle

podgemonster

The mother once replaced Heinz Ketchup with some Aldi/Lidl brand ketchup.

We didn't speak for a fortnight.

diomed

An interesting thread. How do I respond without mentioning brand names?

The mayo is either Hellman's or binned.

5rtytry56

• EPSON printers and scanners
• NVIDIA graphics hardware
• ADOBE for video and image editing software

failinis

The only thing I like as brand names is my tea bags and my tins of beans and drawing software.
The rest is whatever is on offer/value.

Skylinehead

FTA69 wrote: »

Smell of Dub of the pair of ye.

I'm from friggin Leitrim! I do live in Dublin but I was a Lyons man well before that.

FTA69

Ted111 wrote: »

Can I borrow some of that soap off you, you bought in the 99c store.

Buy your own you cheap slag it's only a pound.

Riesen_Meal

podgemonster wrote: »

The mother once replaced Heinz Ketchup with some Aldi/Lidl brand ketchup.

We didn't speak for a fortnight.

Not on my watch, mother dearest...

Speedwell

Punjana FTW. I like its slight floral-honey flavor. I made my husband ship it to me when we were apart while I was applying for his green card to the US.

We have found a few really cheap-ass things that we like, though. The Tesco EDV kitchen roll is a great value. Salt is salt is salt. I love to shop in ethnic grocery shops, where you can't even read the brand names half of the time. The SuperValu in Ballisodare always has own-brand biscuits for 50 cents or so a pack, and last time I was in their chocolate digestives were 50 cents, too. Lidl and Aldi hair and body stuff (the Cien range) was shown to be as good as name brand stuff in a study recently; there was a thread on it. So long as my eyeglasses frames look good, I don't care whether some celebrity endorsed them; I'm not a kid who needs them to survive being flung off my face in the playground and stepped on by the school bully.

This is also a huge reference for us: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056195473

GLaDOS

I do the majority of my shopping in Aldi, so in terms of groceries I'm not picky for the most part. Most of the products are made by the brand name companies anyway. There's a few things I will go to the brand name for (Colman's mustard, Lea and Perrin's Worcestershire sauce, Philadelphia cheese) but they're more of the exception than the rule.

seamus

There are people who will swear blind to you that bottled water from different brands, "tastes" different. In fact, I'll likely get a couple of replies from people telling me that it's true.

As human beings we're generally creatures of habit. Things that are familiar are safe and comfortable. Things which are different, are not. It's a simple evolutionary response.

As such, branding fits heavily into this. When you have a brand that you know, you tend to trust it, you're comfortable with it. You will pay slightly more for it over a brand you don't know. When it's a brand that you don't know, you're not sure what to think. All sorts of inherent human biases come into play when "trying" a new brand, such that the odds are already stacked against the new brand.

Companies didn't invent this, but they did discover the power of it and they do heavily exploit it. People who will tell you that McVities make the best disgestive biscuits, that volvic tastes better than Ballygowan and that they can taste a difference between Barry's and Lyon's.

In fact they probably can taste a "difference", but it's all in their heads. In a blind test they wouldn't be able to tell the brands apart, but in a non-blind test they will experience a difference in taste. Such is the power of familiarity and cognitive biases.

Packaging is one of the most powerful parts of this - put the same product in expensive-looking packaging versus cheap-looking packaging and the buyer will assume the item in the expensive packaging is of better quality. So the expensive brands actually do spend a few extra cents per unit producing more expensive packaging than the likes of Cien, so that the buyer will be convinced that the item within the package is worth €1 more.

The psychology behind branding and marketing is actually very interesting, it's just the ethics of using it for commercial gain that are iffy.

Macy0161

Cornflakes and Rice Krispies have to be Kellogg's, and then spreads we use are Dairy Gold and Flora, but that's about it at this stage.

Aldi's Bramwell Ketchup is as nice as Heinz (could never stand Chef red coloured vinegar anyway). Beans are also now Corale, since we've gone no added sugar. The missus insists on Lyons, but I usually go for McGrath's Gold Blend - we have to two on the go to stretch the more expensive stuff - but she's coming around, and for decaff she goes McGraths too.

Have to say, if comparing looks the Aldi own brand stuff does look less cheap and nasty than Lidl imo. If the shop is done in Lidl, more brands tend to creep in when we'd be happy with the Aldi own brand stuff where we don't have the option.

Speedwell

seamus wrote: »

There are people who will swear blind to you that bottled water from different brands, "tastes" different. In fact, I'll likely get a couple of replies from people telling me that it's true.

I can taste the difference. I am a "supertaster". I won't ever, ever drink Appolonaris water again; that stuff is nasty. But if I could spend the rest of my days lying beside a Scottish stream sucking pure water like Narcissus beside a forest pool, I'd grow taproots. The mineral content really matters.

Duggy747

Chocolate from Aldi is unreal, much nicer than the little shrunken bars you get from Cadbury's.

The Backwards Man

Speedwell wrote: »

I can taste the difference. I am a "supertaster". I won't ever, ever drink Appolonaris water again; that stuff is nasty. But if I could spend the rest of my days lying beside a Scottish stream sucking pure water like Narcissus beside a forest pool, I'd grow taproots. The mineral content really matters.

That's a different source though, totally different.

You wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the hundreds of brands Coke and Nestlé source from the same aquifers, no one can no matter how super they are.

seamus

seamus wrote: »

In fact they probably can taste a "difference", but it's all in their heads. In a blind test they wouldn't be able to tell the brands apart, but in a non-blind test they will experience a difference in taste.

You could put a drop of Mayo into a lake, I could take a sip of water from it and tell you if it's Hellman's or not.

It is the king and queen of condiments. I could eat it by the spoonful. And I do.

andekwarhola

Rye River Brewery here do an excellent store IPA for Dunnes and LIDL and it's funny watching some beer snobs denying themselves a pretty decent (and comparatively cheap) beer because it's not 'expensive'/'craft' enough.

Always tempted to switch labels on one and see if they rave about it.

Speedwell

The Backwards Man wrote: »

That's a different source though, totally different.

You wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the hundreds of brands Coke and Nestlé source from the same aquifers, no one can no matter how super they are.

Very true, I agree. Incidentally it used to irritate my family when I would drink Coke in Houston restaurants but refuse it in San Antonio restaurants; they couldn't tell the difference. Turns out that in Houston there is a law that restaurants must filter all of their drinking water, including that used for fountain drinks, but in San Antonio they are allowed to use straight municipal water.

failinis

Speedwell wrote: »

I can taste the difference. I am a "supertaster". I won't ever, ever drink Appolonaris water again; that stuff is nasty. But if I could spend the rest of my days lying beside a Scottish stream sucking pure water like Narcissus beside a forest pool, I'd grow taproots. The mineral content really matters.

Reminded me of this

GLaDOS

andekwarhola wrote: »

Rye River Brewery here do an excellent store IPA for Dunnes and LIDL and it's funny watching some beer snobs denying themselves a pretty decent (and comparatively cheap) beer because it's not 'expensive'/'craft' enough.

Always tempted to switch labels on one and see if they rave about it.

Don't know about the rye River beers (What branding does it go by?) but the O'Hara's beers for Aldi (O'Sheas) are usually pretty highly recommended by craft beer fans.

andekwarhola

I definitely confess to a hypocritical liking for certain clothing /footwear brands based on admittedly nebulous and not easy to justify grounds: personal history, nostalgia, affection for the design etc. I'm not judgmental about it though. And I also buy a lot of cheap brand stuff too.

Apart from that, when it comes to everyday stuff like food, drink, household items and so on, i'm completely catholic: taste and utility is paramount, not the brand.

andekwarhola

GLaDOS wrote: »

Don't know about the rye River beers (What branding does it go by?) but the O'Hara's beers for Aldi (O'Sheas) are usually pretty highly recommended by craft beer fans.

Rye River do McGargles, Grafters (Dunnes) and Crafty Brewing Company (Lidl). They definitely brew some stinkers but the Grafters IPA, Big Banging IPA (McGargles) and Crafty Brewing Company IPA are all great beers for the price.

GLaDOS

Ah yeah I'm pretty sure I tried the Grafter's IPA and enjoyed it

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

snubbleste

Marketing works.

Shenshen

Hair dye - but that's more because the store own brands tend not to do that many shades of red, if any.

With things like beer, I love tasting my way through some different breweries, but I'm quite happy with Lidl's own brand Pilsner any day.

But for the most part, I go for cheapest.

Couldn't give a toss about brandnames.

irish_goat

I don't understand people who buy branded bleach, it's the exact same chemical in the store brand bottle as in the Domestos.

andekwarhola

Deleted User wrote: »

Couldn't give a toss about brandnames.

True. They're not much use in the **** bank.

siblers

podgemonster wrote: »

The mother once replaced Heinz Ketchup with some Aldi/Lidl brand ketchup.

We didn't speak for a fortnight.

Heinz has a lot of sugar in it so it has a pretty unique taste compared to a lot of other ketchup brands, I love Heinz but it has too much sugar in it

Ted111

diomed wrote: »

An interesting thread. How do I respond without mentioning brand names?

Get Sharp and don't be such a Virgin poster. Esso a simple Kraft to nestle the correct name beside what you knor to be the right word to Dove tail with it. Lego of your anxiety and you canon subway generic words into sentences for maxell effect. It sony easy to mastercard the art.

Widdershins

Milk is a perfect example . How could there be a difference between brands when it's all produced , treated and bottled in exactly the same way , with nothing extra added to any brand ?

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

setanta1984

Dairygold is the only spread I truly like. I think it's because it uses cream, which other spreads don't seem to.

Since moving to the UK sandwich making has been a disaster.

If anyone knows anywhere to buy Dairygold in the UK I will create a shrine to you...
Does anyone even have any suggestions as to a brand they think is even close to it?

seamus

irish_goat wrote: »

I don't understand people who buy branded bleach, it's the exact same chemical in the store brand bottle as in the Domestos.

They think it works better. It must do, because it says it does.

Nurofen got nailed in Australia for this. They marketed a whole bunch of different painkillers, with different coloured boxes for each type of pain - period pain, headaches, backaches, etc etc. And they charged a huge premium on it.

They actually still do this in the UK. But it's the exact same painkiller in the box. There is no difference between the "regular" Nurofen and the period pain one except the price and the pink box (seriously).

Yet people were all too eager to buy it and many commenters shocked because they used to swear blind that only the "period pain" nurofen worked for them, the ordinary one didn't.

Squall Leonhart

Ah no, Heinz mayonnaise is where it's at! Incidentally Hellmann's ketchup is great too, I prefer it to Heinz.





I would have agreed up until recently. I bought Dunnes branded toilet bleach stuff, watery and weak as be-feck when compared to using Domestos or toilet Duck or the likes, which sticks a gooey thick layer of pine freshness to a loo!

andekwarhola

andekwarhola wrote: »

True. They're not much use in the **** bank.

When there's a will, there's a way

NikoTopps

Lyons and Tayto/Hunky Dorys. I can't stand the Aldi equivalents of either so I don't mind paying full price for the brand name stuff.

Speedwell

seamus wrote: »

They think it works better. It must do, because it says it does.

Nurofen got nailed in Australia for this. They marketed a whole bunch of different painkillers, with different coloured boxes for each type of pain - period pain, headaches, backaches, etc etc. And they charged a huge premium on it.

They actually still do this in the UK. But it's the exact same painkiller in the box. There is no difference between the "regular" Nurofen and the period pain one except the price and the pink box (seriously).

Yet people were all too eager to buy it and many commenters shocked because they used to swear blind that only the "period pain" nurofen worked for them, the ordinary one didn't.

My dad used to swear on a stack of Bibles that generic prescription medication was the same exact stuff as the name brand. Not even after much research could I tell him any different. Generic meds only have to have the same dosage of active ingredient. Sometimes the actual compound is different, but considered equivalent (for example, ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate both considered legitimate forms of Vitamin C). Very often, the excipients (bulking, diluting, packaging, enhancing, flavouring, time-release, or other added ingredients) differ. Quality control may vary. Sometimes even the source of the active ingredient matters, such as whether it is naturally sourced or synthesised in a laboratory process.

Widdershins

Speedwell wrote: »

My dad used to swear on a stack of Bibles that generic prescription medication was the same exact stuff as the name brand. Not even after much research could I tell him any different. Generic meds only have to have the same dosage of active ingredient. Sometimes the actual compound is different, but considered equivalent (for example, ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate both considered legitimate forms of Vitamin C). Very often, the excipients (bulking, diluting, packaging, enhancing, flavouring, time-release, or other added ingredients) differ. Quality control may vary. Sometimes even the source of the active ingredient matters, such as whether it is naturally sourced or synthesised in a laboratory process.

My grandmother who was a nurse used to get quite annoyed about being prescribed generics. There was an ad campaign kind of encouraging people to trust generics. Clonmel Health .

Means Of Escape

podgemonster wrote: »

The mother once replaced Heinz Ketchup with some Aldi/Lidl brand ketchup.

We didn't speak for a fortnight.

Chef tops Heinz

FA Hayek

Sometimes you can get away with a non branded product e.g. Milk or ham or personal health products. However, more often then not people buy branded products because they are assured that they are getting the same product they are used to and not some swill that they will have to throw out.

Take Mayonnaise for example. I have tried many types but the best tasting for me is Hellmnans. The rest are just no good, utter muck or a pale imitation. If I want to make a good sandwich, I get a dollop of Hellmanns mayonnaise and some cheese and onions Taytos with some bread. Bread is generally bread, it doesn't matter but try telling me you will get the same test if you swap Hellmanns mayonnaise for some yellow pack ****e and Taytos for some random variety. Sorry, but its going to taste different, very different and anyone who tells it otherwise is deluded wannabe hipster.

You can of course buy non branded stuff and get lucky but in general it will not be the same, besides what the 'alternative living' folks will tell you. For fresh dairy products work away but for jarred products or dry products like chocolate or biscuits its pot luck.