Digital Home Thoughts: Brand Name Influence for Consumer Electronics Losing Luster

"Consumer electronics shoppers are growing less impressed by big brands, according to the Vertis Customer Focus 2006 Home Electronics study. This year, only 29 percent of survey respondents called brand name the "most important" factor aside from price, down significantly from the last survey conducted. When marketing and targeted advertising company Vertis conducted this study in 2004, 40 percent of respondents considered brand name most important. Brand name's influence had declined steadily since 1998, when 50 percent of buyers deemed it most important. The drop from 40 percent to 29 percent is the most dramatic in the study's history. One retailer suggests this is less a matter of brand names losing ground than a matter of many brands gaining ground."

Interesting that this is the case because I think I firmly fall into the 29%. I totally look at brand name before purchasing anything. While I will buy non-brand items, I am one of those people that is totally influenced. Of course, now that I think about it, a decent percentage of these brand name devices (usually bought for a premium) have gone bad and I have almost always had a problem with customer service. Hmm, perhaps I should try the non-brands...