VIP Class Notes (Vicki)

Do you have a favorite brand? and if so, why is it your favorite? and if not, tell me why you don’t.

What have you done during the Christmas period last year?

I had a Christmas dinner with my friend. The district I lived had may Christmas activities, because most people lived there were Hong Kong people or Macao people, their children all came back from overseas place.

On the day of Christmas Eve, When the day I came back to my home at the Christmas Eve, I saw many families enjoying their time in a restaurant near my home. The restaurant held a party, including clowns, Christmas buffet, barbecue,…etc. These clowns made balloon animals/figures for the children folded balloons to many kinds of animals, cartoon figures, lovely things…etc, so every child all liked clowns. In addition, the dinner had variety of dishes, and suitable for every generation. And at the end there was live barbecue, the activity was popular for families, and the cooks were very good at cooking barbecue, everyone lined up to wait for the fresh barbecue. The atmosphere was very happy.

after seeing Saw the happy atmosphere, I decided to book the space for Christmas, so my friends and I had a Christmas dinner on at the day of Christmas.

Vocabulary

stir fry vegetables – 炒蔬菜
i.e. I like stir fry vegetables.

cost efficient – 性价比高
i.e. I think it was a very cost efficient dinner.

blend – 清淡的
i.e. I prefer blend food.

adapt (v.) – 适应
i.e. We have to adapt to the new environment.

benefit – 福利
i.e. We have a lot of benefits in this company.

foodie – 吃货
i.e. I am a foodie.

picky (adj.) – 挑
i.e. I am very picky with food.

psychologist – 心理学家
i.e. I want to be a psychologist in the future.

psychology – 心理学
i.e. To become a psychologist, I have to study psychology.

cruel (adj.) – 残酷的
i.e. People can be so cruel.

premium (adj.) – luxurious
i.e. She likes to buy premium skin care.

tailored (adj.) – 定制的
i.e. He only wears tailored suits.

tailor (v.) – 定制
i.e. We want to tailor to our clients needs.

tailor (n.) – 裁缝
i.e. I need to go see my tailor to get my pants fixed.

fidelity – 忠诚
i.e. One thing that is very important in a marriage is fidelity.

supply chain – 供应链
i.e. I work in supply chain management.

You might have heard the term ‘brand loyalty’. As we enter a 5th generation of console releases, with Sony’s PS5 and Microsoft’s Xbox series X due to hit our shelves this year, once more psychologists are predicting a wave of purchases based on fidelity.

But why do people feel compelled to stick with brands? Writer Carol M. Bopp describes brand loyalty as a positive feeling that consumers identify with a certain product or company.  This also draws on the idea of brand awareness: the extent to which customers are familiar with the logo or values of a brand, goods or a service.

Huge companies pump millions into marketing and advertising, using analytics to determine who is their ICP, or ideal customer profile. It’s no surprise that the ads which pop up on social media somehow feel targeted at or tailored for you. This is because companies spend a lot of time and money analysing who is most likely to become loyal customers.

This extends to the supermarkets. Many believe that the more expensive branded products are much better than the supermarkets’ own brand. Money-saving experts like Martin Lewis, encourage us to give up the premium or branded products and buy the value versions.

So, are we really brand loyal? Companies certainly want us to be. But there are those who believe it’s more to do with brand habit – that feeling of comfort you get from buying the same product over and over again. Once we’re familiar with a brand and we know that it’s OK, we don’t feel compelled to try anything else.

So, the next time you find yourself buying your favourite brand, it might not be down to brand loyalty, but rather to habit, or even that you have been targeted by a specific company through tailored ads.