Smart Shopping

Over the years, businesses have evolved tremendously, and- as a result, people find it hard to determine which products are best. As a result of mass production and information technology, most products are made in roughly the same way, so we can no longer use the reputation of a company as a guideline, for many of the products we buy. Sure we can sometimes, but- let's face it- with the advent of technology, business reputations are slowly becoming a thing of the past. With this in mind, corporations have found other methods of promoting themselves. One of these is advertising, and with the amount of money put into it- I'm guessing that most people will buy things just because it's advertised. Although this is an understandable approach for the uninformed, it still bugs me that people would live their lives willingly influenced by people they probably will never know. Some buy things from the recommendations of friends, but while this is a step in the right direction, to become a smart shopper, you must be informed of products first-hand before purchasing.

Which brings us to the second alternative by which corporations promote themselves- which is, ironically (see previous posts) by giving themselves and identity. All the big names became big in great part because they offered services that pinpoint the needs of the customers in a way unique enough that non can match it. They specialize in meeting this need, until they attract a customer-base by which to thrive off of. A good example of this are movies. The popular ones usually fit neatly in a specific target audience. In my experience, the popularity is directly proportional to how much it specializes with the target audience.

In the past for a time I was obsessed with cell phones, specifically about the plans of different brands. I made a hobby of comparing the brands and looking for the best deals. from that experience, I learned that all the major brands have their good points- and as such, the quality is entirely dependent on whether you are a good match for the service, Not just in cell phone plans, but most major brand products go by this model, and most people buy products or services- completely unaware that their level of satisfaction is dependent on how good a match they are. Even if your friends recommend it, that doesn't mean that it's the best match for you- everyone has potentially different needs. Actually this principle is universal, but I'm just taking into consideration that the smaller brands are more risky, because- frankly the buyers are lab-rats.

Well I can't tell you about all the different brand's target stereotypes, but I think that cell phone carriers should serve as a good basis to go off of: AT&T has the best coverage, Sprint has the best voice quality, T-Mobile has the best customer service, Verizon has the best high-tech wireless gadget packages, Metro-PCS has the best worry-free bargain plans, and Helio is the best carrier for relatively rich social butterflies. And if you count Nextel, it's the best reliable walkie-talkie service (good for businesses)

Most products of major brands out there follow a similar model, gathering a target customer-base like so. Perhaps this is the best way to do business, since it's more efficient to choose an identity and zero-in accordingly (more simple) but it seems that for most people it's not simple enough- since the amount of money put into advertising is so outrageous. Well on the bright side, it keeps Google (my favorite company) going.