AB's maiden blog

JOSEPH

Tell me about the brand that excites you more than any other?

standard chartered [bank]. every month my family deposits money so that we can have an income when i retire, this is a very good company.

Can you tell me about an experience with the company that led you to think this way?

my uncle used them all his life and is able to live well in his retirement. it is important that my family plans for the future and this company has a very good reputation. when i go to see them they are always polite and never rush me.

Would you recommend them to a family member looking for the same service?

yes, its important that as a family we work together for the future.

Not much of a start, or am I being unfair? It might not be 'sexy' to me, but I guess thats not the point. To some, safety, dependability etc. is the pinnacle.

HELEN

Tell me about the brand that excites you more than any other?
ipad of course, or should i say apple? you feel like you have something unique and pioneering even though its mass produced. they put it all together in such a smart but simple way, great design, easy to use and different to anything else on the market. but ive started to get a little annoyed at the cost of all the additions you need, or think you need, to go with it.


If it had the same functionality but no branding would you still buy it?
i think we would all like to think so, out of self respect, that we arent victims of advertising. but i actually dont mind with apple, i like liking the brand, so no i wouldnt buy them or at least not so freely if i didnt have the that apple badge to go with it.

Would you recommend them to a close friend or family member looking for the same products?

who wouldnt? wait a minute, maybe thats not true, we all talk about apple but theres something kind of nice in showing your latest toy without them actually having one too. its like i said, its mass produced but personal.

So honest! I didnt expect to hear that level of possessiveness for a brand from someone I hardly know, which surely says something about the emotion it invokes.

KEITH

Tell me about the brand that excites you more than any other?

i would love to own a mercedes benz, it gets you recognised around here.

So its not the engineering or performance which attracts you?

this is very well known, german made, very expensive and safe. they are a very old company.

Your initial comments were about being recognised, tell me about that?

People notice what you drive and they treat you differently. My family would be very proud to drive in a mercedes, especially my mother. 

Would you buy one if you could borrow the money?

No! I will never afford one, i save for my childrens education not for luxuries.

This isnt easy. Im used to taking care to frame the questions I want answered and having an agency develop the questionnaires (not to mention doing the field work!) 
I am going to make a wild generalisation and say that for lower socio economic groups brands are first and foremost about a projection of how people would like to see themselves and be seen. For functionality there are commodities that do the job cheaper.