What's in a name?

“ 'Brand promise is created by a name, especially where fragrance is concerned,' says James Craven of Les Senteurs, a specialist perfumery in Belgravia. 'Scent itself is ethereal and almost subliminal, so good names are powerfully suggestive; do they conjure up an image or suggest emotional implications or attributes?' ” (http://www.whisperbrand.com/blog/category/packaged-goods/)

Reading this led me to reflect on my own purchasing decisions. Not just for perfumes but for everything. Deciding what to buy and even which stores to shop in are ultimately influenced by brand. But influenced by how much? Can a brand become so strong that it overpowers the product?

For example, I've been so convinced by Colgate's "12 hour total protection" comercials that I automatically reach for Colgate whenever I purchase toothpaste, even if I'm not buying the "12 hour total protection" one. This could be a serious problem. I've made such a strong association between this feature and the brand that it's even transferred to products that don't have this feature.

Brands allow consumers to make quicker decisions, because we think the brand name represents some sort of gaurantee. However, this isn't always the case. You might say that brand names have more influence on cheaper products, like toothpaste. But nothing's keeping the same thing from happening to expensive products. Calvin Klien jeans consumers were so jaded by the brand name that they didn't even realize they were purchasing a lower quality product. And what about schools? Are we really getting what we think we're paying for?

-Priscilla Li