Summing up .....

It was a lot of fun interviewing all my 'subjects'. Who would have thought such a simple question can be so difficult to answer ... and some were even caught speechless. There were a wide range of brands mentioned literally covering head to toe (from sunglasses to shoes) and from international to local brands. Favourite brands mentioned were basically centered around their personal hobbies or likes.

What really intrigued me was that many of them knew which brands they liked immediately but could not really explain why, or pinpoint for exactly what reasons. Leading me to think that they were swayed big time by the brand persona and not the product itself. Quality of the product is of upmost importance and cropped up in all the interviews. Interviewees also liked products that were 'customisable' to fit their needs and style .. rather than one size fits all. However mass the brand ... interviewees were attracted to some exclusiveness, i.e. standing out from others. Pricing wise, interviewees seem to wanna get value out of the product (this could probably be skewed by my sample). Also noted that most of them were loyalists ... meaning that once they like a brand ... they stick to it for a long time. From the interviews i can draw that there is a huge intangible value attached to brands ... but common success factors are high quality, unique, differentiated and allows the consumer 'to live larger than life'.

My personal wow brand is Starbucks ... i like the name, the logo, the quality, the atmosphere, the service, the smell, the feeling of sipping a cup of hot starbucks coffee ... k im getting carried away ... its just a cup of coffee in a branded paper cup!

Thanks guys for being such interesting 'subjects'! =)

Kevin T.

Didi ... addicted to Apple

Didi .. inspired by Apple for its interface,design, innovation and sees it as an aspirational brand! Also likes Nike for its comfort and strong reputation ... but occasionally uses Adidas ... Nike 2 Adidas 1 ...

Dr Kaiser

Kaiser .... stumbled upon Dr Carden on a shopping spree and is now a loyal follower of the brand. According to him its damn 'su fook' (comfortable) and cheap!  Maybe we should try a pair?  

James the marathon man

James ... wont leave home without his New Balance shoes for the follwoing simple reasons ... comfortable, nice looking and value-for-money ...

Mr Suave

 Mahen ....loves Audi for its quality, strong history, made in europe, stands out from the crowd, sexy (i.e. attracting the ladies) ...  

Allyssa 'O' Ng

Allyssa .... chooses to block out harmful rays with her stylish Oakleys. Likes Oakleys for the fact that they are fashionable and customisable.

Mr GQ

The Chef

Kevin 'The Chef' Yaw .... loves to cook and is a big fan of Nestle. He has been using Nestle since he was a teenager. Likes Nestle for its trusted brand name and high quality products. Believe that the brand offers good quality products and reasonable/affordable prices. In fact the products though cheaper and of the same quality of more premium (higher priced) brands.