Name Brand VERSUS By: Aaron Baunee, managing editor No-name Consumer identity concurs with the allure of brand name products. W Aaron Baunee, a graduate of the University at Albany with a double major in history and journalism, is the managing edi-tor of Cleaning & Maintenance Management magazine. He can be reached at ABaunee@ NTPMedia.com. In his years with the publication, Baunee has amassed numerous articles, columns and commentaries pertaining to commercial clean-ing and maintenance. Baunee encourages readers to com-municate editorial ideas to him and welcomes discussions on pertinent industry happenings. Connect through social media: LinkedIn.com/in/AaronBaunee, Facebook.com/CMMOnline and Twitter.com/CMeNewsDaily. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Commercial Cleaning . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Cleaning Chemicals . What’s in a name? According to the Consumer Price Index, quite a bit, actually. Research indicates that roughly 20 percent of the North American population is willing to pay more for an environmentally preferable product. And, while the research does not factor in the act of greenwashing, it can be assumed that some of these consumers were sold on the notion of “green,” regardless of the validity of the claims or lack thereof. Similarly, statistics show that people are also willing to dole out additional funds for a name brand over an off-brand or no-name product. Consumers often use their past experience — and the experiences of their peers — as fodder for selecting products and services that meet their goals. “Brand name quality assurance is especial-ly important when consumers lack complete information about product quality at the time of purchase,” states Benjamin Klein, profes-sor emeritus of economics at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and director of the Law and Economics Consulting Group (LECG). “Companies may take advantage of this lack of information by shaving product quality, thereby lowering costs and increasing short-term profits.” It is this level of quality differential — either real-istic or perceived — between name brands and no-name labels that drive consumers to make a purchase one way or another. Companies spend countless marketing dollars to develop verbiage and graphics that appeal to their target customers and create an emotional connection that builds brand loyalty. 18 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • May 2012
CMM – Archives May 2012: 18
