Product marketing that sucked you in

[Monday Morning Sportswriter]

The thread on extravagant items got me thinking about things I buy because the people who market it found a way to get their hooks in me.

I have two: Edge shaving cream and Degree deodorant.

For more than 20 years, thats all I've ever bought. I know the formulations have changed and I've rolled with different scents and stuff, but I only buy those brands.

Why? Because when I was a freshman in college, they were in these giveaway bags that got shoved into your bookstore bags every time you bought something. I probably had a half-dozen of each, and I used them till they were gone.

Then, I bought more. And more. For 20 years. All because some marketing plan called for giving the stuff away to college kids.

 

[ucacm]

I remember getting a free Mach 3 starter kit in the mail shortly after I turned 18. I used Mach3 almost exclusively until I discovered the cheap CVS knockoff of the Gillette fusion.

 

[bigpern23]

Ditto on the shave kit. I exclusively use Gilette shave gel because they mailed me a sample when I turned 16 or 18 and it felt smoother than the Barbasol I had been using. Still use it to this day and the razors to go with it. I clung to me Sensor Excel two-blade razor close to two decades, but I've found the refills harder to come by and finally switched to the Mach 3 last month.

I am, however, considering trying out a straight razor. My barber gives me a straight blade shave and it's incredible. Would love to be able to replicate it at home.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

My friend - now deceased - in the golf business swore by this maxim: get kids hooked a product they are hooked for life. Loyal to the end.
He ran a junior golf tour and touted Calloway, Hogan balls and equipment. Kids from age 8-18.

The same is true with beer and other things... Hook kids, young adults to a brand and they stick with it. That's why so many ads are aimed at younger audiences.

 

[John]

The Dyson fan advertising made me think it would be great. Looked cool, no blades to get all dirty - but the ads don't reveal how freaking loud the thing is. I returned it the next day. I like a breeze but I don't want to have to blast my TV just to hear it over the engine.

 

[HejiraHenry]

The Dyson fan advertising made me think it would be great. Looked cool, no blades to get all dirty - but the ads don't reveal how freaking loud the thing is. I returned it the next day. I like a breeze but I don't want to have to blast my TV just to hear it over the engine.

Huh. That's good to know.

 

[SpeedTchr]

The Dyson fan advertising made me think it would be great. Looked cool, no blades to get all dirty - but the ads don't reveal how freaking loud the thing is. I returned it the next day. I like a breeze but I don't want to have to blast my TV just to hear it over the engine.

For the price of those Dysons I could hire a coolie to fan me all day

 

[Versatile]

I refuse to eat Jif because I hate choosy moms.

 

[User 1019]

The Dyson fan advertising made me think it would be great. Looked cool, no blades to get all dirty - but the ads don't reveal how freaking loud the thing is. I returned it the next day. I like a breeze but I don't want to have to blast my TV just to hear it over the engine.

Huh. That's good to know.

I thought it would be loud. Sort of like their hand driers.

 

[DanOregon]

I really like after-shave balm. The cheap stuff - Afta or Gillette - I've tried more expensive kinds, but the only time someone commented that I smelled nice (there were numerous times) was when I was wearing the cheap stuff.

 

[Batman]

I refuse to eat Jif because I hate choosy moms.

I hear Freqposter eats choosy moms who buy Jif in the supermarket.
Yin and yang, and all that.

 

[Shoeless Joe]

Handing out free razors to college students or at sporting events is no different than drug dealers handing out free samples on the playground. The cost of the handle is an incredibly cheap way to get you coming back to buy the blades.

I don't know if it's marketing that sucked me in, but I am usually pretty loyal in supporting the sponsors of sports teams I like.

 

[wicked]

Dollar Shave Club, Dorco blades. Look them up. They work just as well, if not better, than Gillette, Shick, etc.

I'm with pern, though, on the barber shop shaves. Those things are amazing, and they make me look much better than I ever could. One of these days I'll finally go with the straight razor (but will not fall for the product marketing from the Art of Shaving).

 

[bigpern23]

Dollar Shave Club, Dorco blades. Look them up. They work just as well, if not better, than Gillette, Shick, etc.

I'm with pern, though, on the barber shop shaves. Those things are amazing, and they make me look much better than I ever could. One of these days I'll finally go with the straight razor (but will not fall for the product marketing from the Art of Shaving).

Art of Shaving tempts me every time I see it!

 

[Guy_Incognito]

I don't know if it's marketing that sucked me in, but I am usually pretty loyal in supporting the sponsors of sports teams I like.

Really? Why?

 

[Shoeless Joe]

I don't know if it's marketing that sucked me in, but I am usually pretty loyal in supporting the sponsors of sports teams I like.

Really? Why?

Why am I loyal to companies that sponsor sports teams I like? Because if they see fit to be associated with something I like, then I'll return the favor. That's why they sponsor teams. I won't buy a product I don't like because of it. But let's say Coke sponsors something I support, and I want something to drink; I don't have a strong feeling one way or the other for Coke or Pepsi, so I'll purchase Coke. On the flip side, I don't particularly care for Burger King, and even if BK started sponsoring someone I support, I wouldn't run out and start eating there.

One specific example I can think of is about 15 years I was in the market for a new TV. There were 3-4 models that I considered equal, but I bought the Sharp because they were Manchester United's shirt sponsor at the time. I didn't go out shopping with the intention of only buying a Sharp, but the company's sponsorship was the reason they won out over the other models.

Another example would be Texaco sponsoring Davey Allison. I was a huge Allison fan when he was alive. If I needed gas, and there was a Texaco and an Exxon (or whatever) on the same corner, I'd stop at the Texaco. I wouldn't drive out of my way just to go to a Texaco, but if the choice was there, I'd support the company that supports what I like.

My question is why not? If you don't support things you like, what do you support?

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

It didn't suck me in - but Fart's folks were roped in by Betamax.
What a complete ****-up of a company.

 

[joe]

I refuse to eat Jif because I hate choosy moms.

But would you eat a choosy mom?

 

[Webster]

When I was in college, I took a class at the business school and there was a case study on Gillette. They said that the free packs to college students was by far their most effective form of marketing.

As for me, I got a free sample of Right Guard Sport Fresh Deodorant spray at some point in college and I've used it for the past 25 years, even though it is harder to find.

 

[joe]

When it comes to toiletries, I buy whatever's on sale. I like the Sensor Excel because it's easier to shave under my nose with two blades than with three.

Before it was discontinued, I really liked the Brush Plus, the one that had shaving cream in a tube that fit inside the brush. Wet the brush, turn the dial and lather. Saw it in a magazine and was hooked.