Nike or Adidas? Caribou or Starbucks? Apple or Microsoft? Target or Whole Foods? We make brand decisions every day, almost instinctively.

It’s normal for people to opt for certain brands over others. For me, I will always be faithful to lululemon when it comes to workout gear and I get my coffee from Starbucks whenever I can. Whether it’s visual appeal, quality or even price point, we often remain loyal to products that are tried and true.  

In some cases, investing in a name brand is worth it. Being a complete fitness junkie, I sweat at least once a day, so purchasing lululemon insures that my workout gear will be comfortable, trendy and durable. My Starbucks addiction, on the other hand, is more about convenience than brand, although I personally believe that there is a difference. I prefer the taste, so I spend the extra money instead of stopping by the gas station to grab a cheaper brew.

But, after doing some research, I learned pretty quickly that many generic products are almost exactly the same as the branded ones and students shouldn’t be forking out more money than they have to. Does my Starbucks Blonde Roast coffee have the same ingredients as the gas station equivalent? It’s entirely possible.

So, what drives consumers to buy certain brands? Is it a genuine need or a subconscious desire?

St. Thomas students have a reputation for loving their winter UGG boots and Northface Jackets. I think this is somewhat practical as they are both durable and warm for Minnesota winters, but they’re also the trendy brands. When everyone on campus is wearing something, it makes it hard to ignore a product and we end up making a trip to Northface to get our hands on a fuzzy zip-up.

We as consumers evaluate products on different criteria. Some of us base our purchasing decisions on price, others on availability, but the vast majority of us make our choices according to brand names. We are attracted, even captivated, by specific labels, even if they’re simply more expensive versions of a generic product.  

This is an interesting phenomenon. We are aware of product similarities, but opt for the name-brand anyway. The answer to this exists in our distinctive personalities. We are emotionally drawn to labels with desirable traits; ones we want to internalize and/or enhance, as well as reinforce, our characters.

Marty Neumeier, author of “The Brand Gap,” states, “A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or organization.” This means that branding choices are not completely rational decisions, no matter how much we think they are, and fall more into the emotional category.

When we develop emotional responses to a product or service, feelings that are governed by our personalities and values, we align with a brand and voilá, we become brand loyal. This is something advertisers have identified and exploited very well. They give a label character and charm to set it apart, knowing this will influence consumer buying behavior and allure them to a certain brand time and time again.

Take the brand Nike, for example. Nike products stand for greatness; they make you better at something that you’re already good at by providing you with the perfect shoes, tank, or shorts. It is an amplifier brand, attracting those people who constantly challenge themselves to strive for more. A Nike customer is a driven athlete and content human being. Who wouldn’t buy into that?

Many of us will continue to justify the brands we buy, citing the quality or price as reasons we support a certain label over another. However, we should also be aware of the branding operation in place. Do we actually make rational decisions when we buy an item or is it a result of emotional thinking based on our personalities? Have we just been charmed by the name even though the products we are choosing between are close to identical?

It’s not hard to fall into branding traps. They’re everywhere. Yes, I’m an example of branding myself, but I recognize this and realize that marketing strategies do play a role in my loyalties.

Nicole Soyka can be reached at soyk9466@stthomas.edu.