Okay, I'm not sure if Vance Packard deserves the commendation I offered yesterday. He's a second rate journalist and he wasn't really breaking new ground when he wrote about the advertising industry of the 1950's. I also don't think the "Mad Men" were breaking new ground either. Emotional appeals have been part of salesmanship since the time of Noah and his ship-building enterprise.
As an architect, I'm susceptible to a particular form of marketing techniques. The implication of low maintenance and high performance grab my attention, but I generally make decisions based on historical aesthetics. Many of the products I specify are interchangeable. I often say: "I have no brand loyalty." That is a lie, and I occasionally acknowledge that. I like how Pella windows look, but I'm not that impressed by their performance. I use them because they look like older windows.
I'm a fraud, a huckster, and hidebound traditionalist. Buyer beware.
No comments:
Post a Comment