Brand Me!

What are your favorite brands and why?

My first reaction to this prompt was: well, I’m not really that brand conscious And yet, most of the products I buy do have a real brand attached to them. I do not mean “Great Value,” either, which is often misleading on a number of levels.

One must also be conscious of being too brand-loyal because often the companies who make that Goldilocks product for us (“It’s just right!”) stop making that exact thing. How often have I heard of the perfect bra being discontinued, and how I have searched for those perfect shoes I had been wearing for years, only to discover they were out of production?

There is, however, one brand I do stand behind: Apple. When my Commodore 64 died, I was looking to replace it with a IBM PC clone, but then placed my hand on a Mac mouse and my search was over. I’ve been using Macs since 1987, through thick and thin, Jobs and Sculley (and Jobs), and on into the iPhone. I even have an iWatch—is that what they’re called?—on the way since those knock-offs you can buy on Amazon can’t guarantee full functionality with my Apple products.

I’m sure there are people who will criticize my loyalty here, and that goes beyond the old Mac vs. PC debate. Apple has products manufactured in China and that brings up human rights, workers’ rights, and all sorts of other issues. I’m aware and acknowledge all that. At the same time, I have chosen products that work best for me, so some compromise is necessary for this person who often selected Social Choice investments rather than help destroy the environment.

So I raise a can of Coke to salute Apple! Oh, yes, don’t give me Pepsi; Coke only. Except when they made New Coke which tasted like Pepsi and I stopped drinking it altogether. Sometimes taste does transcend loyalty.

What brands can’t you live without, or which do you hate? Send a comment while you wait in the Chick fil-A drive-thru line, and don’t forget to like and follow!