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Brand loyalty! |
*Jojo*
Joined: Oct 15, 2003
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brand loyalty = BLIND loyalty !
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islandprd
Joined: Nov 29, 2007
Posts: 176
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On 2007-12-27 21:39:21, Alpha Trion wrote:
have you ever been contacted out of the blue (thats not you writing to complain then them coming back to you offering an apology/voucher etc) by one of the big companies and heard "hi i'm just calling to thank you for your loyal support on behalf of ***** and as a thank you we'd like to invite you to our next model launch/product unveiling" etc or offered discounts on later/newer models etc?
This to me would be a reward or reason to be loyal to a brand?
Heyy... they did that to me. Gotta be fair. I have received many invitation to the launch of Sony and SE products. They also offered special discounted launch price with freebies.
Am I a loyal supporter? Well supossedly not, cos I also buy its competitor products  . But, Do I put SE as one of my preffered brands? Heck, YES.
Do I need to bash SE in general for a few average and buggy products like K850? Hell NO! Bcos, like mweb mentioned, it is like throwing the water with the babies out (other good SE products)
As for loyalty reward, I think the problem is Not that SE do not want to reward the phone users. It is just that they have no no idea who bought their phone untill the users registered as member for such. When I get my SE or Nokia phone I deal with the phone-shops/retails not SE or Nokia direct. However I agree that they need to improve their marketing campaign to reward long time users of their products |
Dogmann
Joined: Jan 29, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: London England
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@islandprd
It really isn't a case of bashing SE for a few buggy products as you put it just look back over 2007 and please tell me the great success stories of the year. Ignore all the problems and tell me exactly were SE have excelled in customer service and support and launched an innovative class leading devcie any one will do.
At the beginning of the year many were happy to boast that SE was on the up would sell over 200 million devices this year and end the year at number two. None of which i think will come to fruition well not this year anyway just read around the forums how many are bored and fed up with the same spec's re housed, the poor build quality in many models and how buggy recently released products are this is not the SE many of us loved and supported this is an entirely different company now. They seriously need a shake up and to return to delivering excellent innovative products once more. I can never recall a time when so many are critical of SE and have in fact now bought other manufacturers devcies and to pretend this is not so is just absurd when the evidence is in most Forum's.
The only people that can't see this or admit this are blind loyalty SE fanatics but they do SE no favours by being in denial SE needs to get it's house in order and fast or all there recent gains will vanish. Lets wait and see this last quarters results and then judge SE's performance of late on that shall we. Lets also hope the new CEO changes the way things currently are and that SE get back to being the great company they can be in 2008 as if not they will slide down the positions faster than they rose.
Marc
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[ This Message was edited by: Dogmann on 2007-12-28 12:50 ] |
Brightspark
Joined: Aug 19, 2007
Posts: 326
From: UK
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i prefer to stick to brands that TEND to produce solid and reliable phones. therefore, i tend to stick with moto and samsung, and avoid nokia clamshells and sliders (their candybars don't suffer from build quality issues that much) and all sony ericssons(for obvious reasons to those who care about reliable software and good build quality).
i always research my phones thoroughly before i get them, and that's why i tend to stick with moto and samsung
[ This Message was edited by: Brightspark on 2007-12-28 17:20 ] |
goldenface
Joined: Dec 17, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Liverpool City Centre
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I'm loyal SE through and through, along with my football team. :-) Although I can sort of agree with most people's sentiments in this thread because everyone's reasons for choosing their device are highly personal. I can't see myself using anything else right now, I don't demand much and the UI for me is the best. SE for me up to now but each to their own. Live and let live.
This message was posted from a K850i |
QVGA
Joined: May 23, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Pakistan
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On 2007-12-27 18:04:42, mweb6161 wrote:
On 2007-12-26 22:24:40, QVGA wrote:
brand loyalty? what is that? who is out of their mind to be brand loyal? you're comparing loyalty to a sports team with a loyalty to a brand that which we PAY to use? do you pay to support your fav. team? is money of no importance to you?
when i pay for something, i expect to get exactly what the manufacturer says i will get. if i want to upgrade that product, and some certain brand isnt fulfilling my needs, why the hell would i opt for it? Do i own that brand? Is it my daddy's brand? What is SE? Is it a real life living specie that i have to stick to and show my love and affection to by throwing money at its useless products to show this so called 'loyalty'? If W800 made me love SE, then anything after that made me loathe it! I would say to hell with SE and their BS product line! I like nokias now because they fulfill my needs, not because i'm in 'love' with nokia or not because i'm 'loyal' to it.
Of course you pay to support your team, Kits, season tickets and the like all cost money.
You either believe in and understand the concept/ideal of loyalty or you dont.
In my generation Loyalty was a valued commodity, nowadays people switch allegiance at the drop of a hat (or the introduction of a new product).
So you're comparing a team of humans with an electronic device? Is that how you see your SE? As a partner?
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max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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while some people are fanatic supporters of their team, I think you will find it's because the team represents their local geographic area. AKA Very few Aussies barrack for the All Blacks  When a sport is not geographic, people are more likely to change loyalty if their team consistantly loses. For example motor racing - people are more likely to have a different favourite every year. No one likes to always be on the losing end, so you barrack for who you think can win.
Likewise with phones. You can have brand loyalty, but if your needs are consistantly let down you will quit justifiably switch brands (aka dogmann). On the other hand their are those of us like goldenface and myself, who like SE phones and have not had occasion to be let down as yet, so we continue to enjoy and love our particular brand.
Believe me, if Nokia had a better UI and camera in the same market segment as K800 I would go with Nokia. I'm not into blind loyalty. But as it is I still get my monies worth out of SE so I continue to unashamedly prefer SE. The main factor for me is the UI, so my "loyalty" is really based on the fact I like the SE style of UI and ergonomics, so it's not blind at all. It's based on an actual feature that's consistant across all SE hardscreen phones. I'm more likely to find a phone I like in SE's range than any other make, because of my UI preferences. That's what drives my loyalty.
So while I'm more likely to change brand if SE drop the current UI, for the moment I enjoy being a loyal SE user. Loyalty is always given in return for something. Even the supporters of the team that always loses get something - they get the comaradie of their fellow supporters and the intimacy of belonging to that group that grows from fighting against over welming odds at every match. The feeling of your team winning when they usually lose is an exhilerating feeling much stronger than if your team usually wins.
So I don't think loyalty to a phone company always equals blind loyalty. It can do, but sometimes you just feel loyalty to something because it manages to keep you happy most of the time.
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aksd
Joined: Nov 11, 2005
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From: UK, India
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@max well said about the phones, but not about the racong teams  .
Been an avid Formula 1 fan from 2000, McLaren supporter since then, they've never won a single championship in the last 7 years, although Hamilton did come close last year, still stuck with them throughout the losses and controversies .
You're spot on regarding the phones, I was totally for SE during the W800 days (put in a lot of work into it, developing them came drivers etc, those were fun days), then bought the M600 which led to a Moto A1200, Nokia 5500(unhappy), N73(totally unhappy), K790(even more unhappy), Smasung U600(slow, reasonably happy), Motorola E6(Happy), Htc TyTYn2(Overjoyed, just like the W800 days), I guess I'm a huge phone whore (List was'nt required but just making a point, comparing sports and phones )
Regards,
AKshay
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max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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In racing, I always go for the underdog.
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The Lostprophet
Joined: Oct 10, 2004
Posts: 480
From: BEDS,UK
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i normally pick something that interests me. i am SE bias as i think they make good handsets, but i wouldnt pick a SE just because its a SE. i mean my k850i is a great handset, unreliable, but great. it does what i want it to do. i wanted a small phone with a goodish battery life took my memorycard (micro SD) and had a good enough camera for a few snaps.
The Lostprophet (+14, -0) [e], [m], [s]) SUPERMODERATOR on M-R. (+117, -0) ebay feedback |
JiSm
Joined: Nov 08, 2007
Posts: 404
From: New Zealand
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Brand loyalty (from a mass consumer level) is killing the development of premium devices. People go into shops to upgrade and say "I want another Nokia" etc. They get it for Free and will do the same in 12-18 months. Because of this, manufacturers arent spending as much time on developing the product as its lifetime is 18 months. The day EVERYBODY researches everything before they buy will be the day these manufacturers start really knuckling down and doing the proper job. In the past the market was small compared to now and tiny inovations were very noticible (add text messaging, add bluetooth etc) but now days phones features are generically similar and only the tiny things that your average consumer dont see (or care about) are being developed - at a huge cost too. Really, when you think about the countless millions of handsets sold vs. the small mobile geek community that cry out for better this and that, will the brands listen? They are more likely to spend millions on marketing too pull the masses than millions on the handfull of crybaby technodudes like us.
In my opinion anyways.
I put on another thread that, IMHO, mobile carrier subsidies are our main problem. People (the masses) see something 'cool' on a poster from a brand they 'have had a good run with' and go and get it for free, without a care (like sheep). The day people have to actually pay for features will be a good day. We will still buy our "Generic" handsets outright as normal, but everyone will have to really look into what they are investing their money into - forcing manufacturers to REALLY up the ante.
Of course, this is all my opinion....
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[ This Message was edited by: JiSm on 2008-01-04 00:15 ] |
kenoby
Joined: Dec 17, 2007
Posts: 407
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@ Aksd, you had A1200 (ming) and E6? You put smile on my face, I had E6, E2 and, my personal favorite I've kept, A1200. Great phones, so much mods available, I think more than for any other brand. Linux rules..
Had bunch of Samsungs but it is sooo boring phone, pick any.
@ The Lostprophet, exactly my point. I switched from Nokia cam phone for that. But K850i is not unreliable, just buggy sometimes. Like everybody, right?
@ JiSm, I am always buying generic phones since I go around the world so branded would be a setback. I think there is loads of generic mobiles on the market, people are actually wasting their money on them. In UK I believe, with the telecom's fighting for customers you could get that perception you have.
Just in past 4 months I've turned my eyes to Nokia and watched change from N95 to N95 8Gb to N96 to see they've produced better phone for less money, N82. I spend some money in that process, didn't only watch. There is high demand for smartphones on the market, that's why Nokia is constantly improving, but on the cost of customers. How would you feel if you pay 500 E for a phone that frezzes when you are watching movie and somebody calls you, forcing you to remove the battery (which btw drains out in no more than 12 h) in order to properly function again? When looking at the RAM it shows 92% occupied with nothing but the OS running? And then they release new one with double RAM making you feel like a moron for practically loosing your money, telling you with that act you have bought cat in a sack.
I bought,few years back,Dell 9200 and after having it for a year screen failed. I bought another Dell, XPS GenII and after a yr and a half it's screen failed too. Now I own Sony VAIO
Loyalty is a bitch if I may say. Buy what you like, that is why you spend the money. Not because you think "I am spending money on them loyally, I expect them to provide me product I deserve" |
Kryptik
Joined: Jun 24, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Port Elizabeth, S.Africa
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Very well said! I'd feel robbed if i paid good money for a top-notch phone, only to see its replacement available a few weeks later, at the same price, the replacement being so much better than my original purchase. I like the way you've referred to the masses as sheep. Most appropriate, since they'll blindly buy ANYTHING which the telecoms wave in their faces. Hats off to the marketing gurus who feed the fodder to the sheep. One would hope that the day will dawn that buying a mobile will be akin to buying a new car, i.e. we'll be able to specify which features we would like included, much like optional extras.
I'm not superstitious, merely mildly stitious. |
amnesia
Joined: Jan 15, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Doha, London, Tokyo, Shanghai
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I try to buy SE whenever possible since I used to love their quality and innovation however I'm not really interested in them anymore.
There are two reasons.
1) They've replaced what nokia used to do. Different face, some insides. (Now even Nokia adds more features).
2) Their designs are not as appealing anymore. I wish the companies would release a type of sub brand, called it J-Phone (yes I know that's vodafone japan's old name) and release Japanese designs.
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Posted: 2007-12-28 03:12
