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View Poll Results: Are you brand loyal?
Yes 212 25.45%
No 621 74.55%
Voters: 833. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 4th September 2018, 14:49   #1
GTO
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Are you brand loyal?

Simple question = Are you loyal to any car brand? Please vote on the poll with your reasoning for the same.

My answer = No. The last 5 cars we've bought have all been from different brands. Of the last 10 cars we bought, only Honda was repeated, and even that was because of the product. Prior to that, Maruti was repeated as there weren't many options in the market at the time (our last Maruti was purchased in 1996 - the Esteem).

I place a lot more importance on the actual car over the brand. I'd imagine that names like Maruti & Toyota have an enviable % of repeat customers, but others like Nissan won't.

We have a related thread, but it's more of a 'which brand you are loyal to', rather than addressing whether you are loyal to any in the first place.

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Last edited by GTO : 4th September 2018 at 14:51.
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Old 4th September 2018, 14:59   #2
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

How come such a thread wasn't yet on the forum?

I am not loyal to any brand in any category. The reason is that I believe and have seen companies get better or worst with time. Very, very few exceptions are there who keep themselves special for a long time in a way that it is hard for competition to copy or better it. Apple could be given as one such example. However, recently Apple too is facing criticism from it's fans.

In automotive, it might be little different as brands try to protect their genes by focusing on certain special characteristics (driving dynamics for BMWs in general). However, this too is getting all mixed up with development and knowledge sharing of mechatronics within the industry.

Last edited by the_skyliner : 4th September 2018 at 15:01.
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Old 4th September 2018, 15:08   #3
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

Voted No.

Brand loyalty will result in bias and one will not be able to evaluate the product on its merit. It'll not allow one to call a spade, a spade. I would love to quote examples but would refrain from doing so since it'll take the thread off topic.

For me, it's the product that counts irrespective of the brand. We have had repeat purchases (Ikon/now Ecosport & i20/eon) but it was based on the product and the requirements.

Also being loyal, I will be confined to one brand and not be able to experience others. Whenever there is a discussion with a person who is brand loyal, it ends being an argument. For instance, if I say ergonomics are not perfect, the brand loyalist would say "one would get used to it" rather than accepting the fault.

Last edited by Karthik Chandra : 4th September 2018 at 15:15.
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Old 4th September 2018, 15:09   #4
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

I would love to be brand loyal but unfortunately though most companies make great cars, their service is so bad that i cringe buying the same brand and look for alternatives.

I don't understand why companies take brand loyalties lightly. Only folks whom i have observed to be brand loyal are Toyota owners.
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Old 4th September 2018, 15:18   #5
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

Voted No - But...

Would such a direct and binary question yield any latent loyalty? After all, many (including me) would want to vote 'No', but may actually have deep seated unrecognized biases.

Last edited by roy_libran : 4th September 2018 at 15:20.
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Old 4th September 2018, 15:20   #6
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

As much as I would love to be loyal to one brand, in today's market, it would mean stupid to stick to one brand and just ignore the similar offerings from other brands. You'd be on the losing end in such scenarios.

For example, if a Maruthi fan sticks to the brand due to their loyalty and picks up a Brezza instead of the Ecosport (remember, we are not considering any other factor but the brand in the decision making), the individual is going to lose on a truckload of fun and features that the Ecosport is kitted with.

And when you are over obsessed with a particular brand, you will start seeing manufacturers like RE chugging out below par machines to the customers without adding any value proportion.

My 2 cents!

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Old 4th September 2018, 15:21   #7
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

I think we need to first define, what is meant by Brand loyalty?

Definition A: Irrespective of whether the car under consideration is a hit or miss, going with the brand and choosing the car is called Brand Loyalty based on other same brand cars' success

Definition B: While choosing a new car, based on the the prior experiences with the cars of the same brand, going with the same brand although one do not have self experience on the new model

Definition C: Based on the sales figures and reviews of various CARs of the same brand in famous sites, magazines, deciding on the brand of the car and then, deciding the CAR itself.

In my view, Definition B is the most suited definition for loyalty. And based on this definition, I go with Answer "Yes"

If the Definition A and C are considered for polling, I will go with Answer "No"

Last edited by gkveda : 4th September 2018 at 15:24.
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Old 4th September 2018, 15:22   #8
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

I voted for Yes.

We've been loyal to Maruti not because we liked it's products but due to the fact that we never had many options here earlier. Our first Maruti was in 1987/88. The only other brand we tried was Hyundai with Santro. This was in 2005. That car was fantastic, but the issue was service. The dealership and workshop started here sometime in 2006/2007. Till then, car was sent to Patna for all issues. With advent of other brands in my city, we did have many options but by then, Dad was fixated on Maruti and so were we. It's something like, don't change if it ain't broken. Our trust with Maruti has been better than Hyundai. I loved Creta when it came but with a heavy heart, decided against it. Other brands have come and gone from here. Most of them have a bad reputation with respect to service. With Maruti, being an old customer has helped and I know many people at workshop as well as dealership, moreover they know that they cannot hard sell me anything that's not required. That also leaves me in comfort zone. So somehow, this has made me loyal to a brand. I would definitely love to try Honda Jazz CVT or the Amaze CVT. But that depends what we will be thinking while changing our Wagon R. If some worthy car from Maruti is available as a replacement for it, we'll end up with that. I just hope that they start offering 6 'working' airbags in atleast their top-end variants, we have many options with the same but then, being a fanboy means nothing else.

Marutis owned by us
- M800 STD (1997-2005), Maruti Alto LXi(2005-2009) Maruti Ritz VXi(2010-till date), Wagon R VXi{ABS}(2012-till date), Vitara Brezza ZDI+(2016- till date) and soon to be added, S-Cross Alpha.

Other cars - nth hand Premier Padmini(1985-1988), Santro Xing (2005-2012) and Santro GL Plus(2012-2013).

Last edited by BoneCollector : 4th September 2018 at 15:40.
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Old 4th September 2018, 15:28   #9
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

I think we (family) were brand loyal when we owned a Maruti Suzuki. Switched from an 800 to a WagonR and later booked Swift, even waited more than 6 months for it - before cancelling. Loyal maybe to some, herd mentality to some other - but there was hardly much of a choice back then either - except for the Swift decision! Taking the brand out of the equation - I still like everything about the Swift except for the build quality. I'm admitting partial brand loyalty because Punto and Swift were tied during my purchase test drives and I opted for Swift as the first choice only for the Maruti extra peace of mind.

People automatically assume I'm brand loyal ever since I bought a FIAT. The fanboy tag comes ribbon packed along with some brand cars.

However - with this and the next purchase - a Hyundai - it was both the case of best products that suited the requirements and budgets at that point.

Next car? A compact SUV - something like Nexon, Ecosport, Creta or Compass as budget allows at the time. No brand preference - but prefer some product qualities like solid build quality etc. And have an aversion towards paying more for less, just to get a brand label.

PS - Respect to the first BHPian who goes ahead, stands tall and claim himself to be fully brand loyal. I doubt anyone will. Probably we should have a thread asking others to rate who all act brand loyal and why? Should be an eye opener to many, when seen through the eyes of others.
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Old 4th September 2018, 15:31   #10
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

I voted for NO.

IMO it is very difficult, and almost impossible to be loyal to any brand in India, where much of the product is designed for mass market. This pushes most of the manufacturers to blindly compete with each other to offer the same stuff in different ways, while the essence of product is lost at times.

As GTO has posted, for me..

Quote:
I place a lot more importance on the actual car over the brand.

Last edited by Vik0728 : 4th September 2018 at 15:33.
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Old 4th September 2018, 15:36   #11
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

I voted No

I haven't repeated the brand for my 2 cars so far. Let's see where I go for my 3rd

For me personally, the automobile, the engineering, the design and appeal will come first before the brand.
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Old 4th September 2018, 15:38   #12
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

Voted Yes.

Over time the brands have moved though the concept of loyalty has not.
Premier - owned two Padmini's purchased 4 years apart.
Opel - owned 3 over a 11 year period
Skoda (yes Skoda - deserve a medal for this!) - Laura & then Superb bought a few years apart
Honda - Jazz and Amaze. Both in the garage. Though I doubt there will be a third unless they come out with a hybrid/electric version of the Jazz
Currently on both Volvo & Lexus I am inclined to head again to both due to, in both cases, reliability of the product, quality of the service and clean transparent attitude of the dealerships.

My loyalty came from a desire to stick to what works.
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Old 4th September 2018, 15:40   #13
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

Voted 'No'.

My first car (Mazda 626) purchase was an used car, and budget was the concern rather than the brand (sticking to jap cars was good enough).

The second car (Hyundai i10), which was my first new car, was purely picked up as it ticked most of the requirements I had at that point of time.

Third car (Mazda Protege) having the same brand as the first car is a mere coincidence, as this one too was a used car, and budget + quick availability were the main points.

Fourth car (Honda Jazz - yet to be delivered) was again bought on availability of features available at a price point.

Would have loved to be brand loyal though - over the years, I have grown quite a good relationship with the Hyundai ASC near my house, and they too knew the car well and attended to it as required, often exceeding my expectations with their helpful attitude.
I am totally comfortable with Hyundai cars, the fit/finish, and how they drive.
Too bad Hyundai did not have a suitable option for me this time around when I decided to upgrade.

Last edited by blackasta : 4th September 2018 at 15:48.
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Old 4th September 2018, 15:42   #14
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

I'd always prefer a good car, than a particular brand.
I'd never buy a car from a specific brand, just because I like that brand.


IMO, no manufacturer (at least car manufacturers) can keep consistency in innovation and quality. It's difficult to keep everyone happy with each product you launch.


I vote NO.
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Old 4th September 2018, 15:42   #15
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Re: Are you brand loyal?

Nope.

For me, it is the product. We have four cars, each from a different stable in our garage at the moment. Each were chosen for the package that they were, regardless of the badge. Good experience with one manufacturer may prompt me to give it another look but won't cloud my decision.

Although Maruti and Toyota customers may feel otherwise, brand loyalty, in my opinion, carries no value as such. Brand aversion may exist however. Someone bitten by lousy service from Skoda might V(o)W never to go that brand again.

Last edited by libranof1987 : 4th September 2018 at 15:50.
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