Existing investment in an ecosystem.
Doesn't have a trendy word summary AFAIK. I guess general brand loyalty is used in that respect, but it's not really the meaning of the term.
All purpose sales and sales rumors/anecdotes thread next gen+
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Doesn't have a trendy word summary AFAIK. I guess general brand loyalty is used in that respect, but it's not really the meaning of the term.
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Deleted member 11852
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Likely all Wii U owners. Rejoice, a console that will be supported by the third parties! Now battle like it's RL Smash Bros!
Easier to justify jumping ship on phone platforms when the relative cost of apps/games is smaller to that of a console. With console purchases it feels like more of an investment but since they don't carry over to the next platform(yet) you lose access to them anyway if you get rid of the older device. So I could see forwards compatibility helping retain customers.
Tommy McClain
That's true, but it's far from binding. Only something like the $1000s invested in PC or Mac software is particularly binding. My PS1 and PS2 libraries don't in any way bind me to PS4, and won't PS5 even if it was compatible (see Importance of BC discussion ).
It's just something no company can rely on and shouldn't be pursuing, mindless brand loyalty. Every product should be the best they can do to compete in the now against its immediate rivals, rather than compete based on the success of previous products.
).It's just something no company can rely on and shouldn't be pursuing, mindless brand loyalty. Every product should be the best they can do to compete in the now against its immediate rivals, rather than compete based on the success of previous products.
That's true, but it's far from binding. Only something like the $1000s invested in PC or Mac software is particularly binding. My PS1 and PS2 libraries don't in any way bind me to PS4, and won't PS5 even if it was compatible (see Importance of BC discussion
Past is past. Going forwarded is a whole nother matter. PC already has it, but none of the consoles currently do.
You're dreaming buddy. And I disagree that a company shouldn't try to pursue it. Retaining customers should be their number one goal after growing their market. Forget who you are & you're doomed to repeat past mistakes.
Tommy McClain
I see brand loyalty as an important factor when it comes to sales and having repeat purchases. However, it is just one of many factors that are just as or more important when sales are concerned. Brand awareness and perception is more important than brand loyalty. If the general perception of the product is lower than a competitor's product then I'd expect that to more heavily effect sales than loyalty.
PS3 is a good example of brand awareness and perception when it comes to sales. Early on it was a dog but after a while Sony was able to turn its image around and made the last years of PS3 truly worth owning. I do think brand loyalty played a large factor when it came to sales, the Playstation brand dominated the prior two generations, but think the better position of the 360 in terms of price and perception far outweighs any loyalty.
Price is of course the biggest factor and directly influences perception if priced too high. I consider the removal of Kinect a price cut if. Even though hardware was removed it still lowered the price of the platform. And that price cut helped sales dramatically leading into the holiday season last year with XB1 dominating. So yeah price is obviously the biggest one followed by perception,and then loyalty.
I do think PS brand is stronger than Xbox brand, even in the US, despite the success of the 360. Now that the two consoles are priced similarly I expect PS4 to outsell XB1 from here forward. They will surely win some NPD months here and there. My expectation is for PS4 to increase its sales lead of XB1 by 1 million or more units by this time next year, with the caveat that both consoles retain price parity.
PS3 is a good example of brand awareness and perception when it comes to sales. Early on it was a dog but after a while Sony was able to turn its image around and made the last years of PS3 truly worth owning. I do think brand loyalty played a large factor when it came to sales, the Playstation brand dominated the prior two generations, but think the better position of the 360 in terms of price and perception far outweighs any loyalty.
Price is of course the biggest factor and directly influences perception if priced too high. I consider the removal of Kinect a price cut if. Even though hardware was removed it still lowered the price of the platform. And that price cut helped sales dramatically leading into the holiday season last year with XB1 dominating. So yeah price is obviously the biggest one followed by perception,and then loyalty.
I do think PS brand is stronger than Xbox brand, even in the US, despite the success of the 360. Now that the two consoles are priced similarly I expect PS4 to outsell XB1 from here forward. They will surely win some NPD months here and there. My expectation is for PS4 to increase its sales lead of XB1 by 1 million or more units by this time next year, with the caveat that both consoles retain price parity.
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Deleted member 11852
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In as far as producing a quality product that makes a positive impression, yes. But consumers are more savvy these days. If they weren't Japanese or Korean cars wouldn't sell outside their home markets and Sony, Toshiba and Panasonic would still own the high end TV market.
All evidence is that brand loyalty is far less a deciding factor than it used to be. And why should somebody mindlessly buy product X because it's made by company Y? That's consumer behaviour at its dumbest.
I said shouldn't be pursuing 'mindless brand loyalty'.
Strong brand is important, but that's also fairly covered by doing your job well. Brand loyalty will help people decide in favour of your product when there's strong competition, but it won't make people buy your product when it's clearly inferior and people say as much. It's not possible any more IMO to create a brand like Levis where people will mindlessly buy Levi jeans to the exclusion of all others, or create a supermarket chain that people will shop at to the total exclusion of other chains, or a car brand that anyone will blindly buy vehicle after vehicle regardless, or create a console brand that people will buy generation after generation without considering the alternatives and being willing to change (or add, because you don't need a exclusive relationship with your console*) to another brand. Even brands like Apple with their fanboy contingent still aren't beyond competition and people switching allegiance (or rather, abandoning allegiance and going with the solution that serves them best).
* Yes, I'm seeing LB's console on the side. That's why she doesn't respond to him.
Well with consoles don't forget you have digital purchases, friends lists, exclusives which are tied to said brand. Hardly 'dumb' behaviour to buy XBO just because you know Halo will be coming.
Loving that Star Wars add - that'll definitely get in the heads of buyers!
upnorthsox
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Thus why Apple is about to declare bancruptcy.................................
Prophecy2k
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Believe it or not, Apple makes very good products. They're a trusted brand. But brand loyalty isn't the primary reason for their success.
Otherwise, Apple TV would have been more than the aborted afterthought that it is.
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Buying an Xbox One for exclusives is not brand loyalty. Buying an Xbox One because it's made by Microsoft is.
I have zero doubt Apple have a bunch of customers that buy Apple products because they're made by Apple. I have zero doubt that Microsoft, Sony and Samsung also have their fair share as well. But you're going to have to stump up some evidence that every Apple customer is buying products because of brand loyalty.
Speaking of myself I've invested heavily (principally software purchases) in Apple's OSX and iOS ecosystems that would make moving to another platform fairly expensive. It was a relatively expensive move from Windows to OSX back in 2002/03 and the fact that Apple's desktop and mobile ecosystems work well together out of the box means an alternate would have to be really compelling to make the expense and transitiuon worth the trouble. This is probably the same reason as to why Windows remains the dominant desktop operating system.
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upnorthsox
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Never said it was, but saying brand loyalty is no longer relevant is just not right.
Brand loyalty isn't the be all and end all. Your one liner didn't really make an argument and just implied that Apple's ongoing financial success is due to blind fanboy loyalty rather than an effective, competitive product.
I think everyone's reached consensus in so far as everyone acknowledges brand value contributes to the purchaseability of a product, but few people buy simply on the name and not the product value itself. Unless someone wants to argue that a console can be a huge success without offering a competitive advantage and just selling on brand, wouldn't you all say this line of discussion was over?
But in this case the exclusives are tied to the brand...you're splitting hairs really, the point still stands as the 'mindset' is that the MS console will play X therefore I will buy the MS console ahead of Sony console.
No, drawing a distinction. The unique features are selling points, that sell the platform on the merit of its ability to serve its purpose. Brand loyalty, especially the extremes being discussed here, are about buying the product irrespective of its ability to do its job, based solely on the fact that someone loves the brand so much they'll buy it beyond all reason. There definitely exist hardcore MS and Sony and Nintendo fans who'll buy their next console regardless because it's the next XB or PS or NThing, but they represent a tiny proportion of the market. Everyone else buys on what they consider the best option available at the time.
So going back to iroboto's statement (which he's since refined), the notion of Sony (or anyone else) aiming to do as well as possible now to secure future sales of the next console is unrealistic. The mainstream will buy their next console based on what's available, with past positive experience with PS4 a part of those considerations but far from the deciding factor. Such that if Sony release an overpriced turkey, many consumers will have no problem ditching PS and buying something else despite positive PS4 experience.
So going back to iroboto's statement (which he's since refined), the notion of Sony (or anyone else) aiming to do as well as possible now to secure future sales of the next console is unrealistic. The mainstream will buy their next console based on what's available, with past positive experience with PS4 a part of those considerations but far from the deciding factor. Such that if Sony release an overpriced turkey, many consumers will have no problem ditching PS and buying something else despite positive PS4 experience.
Prophecy2k
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Shifty is right.
Trying to equate exclusive games with a company brand is some serious mental gymnastics.
These things are videogame consoles for crying out loud. People buy them to play games. They don't buy them to play a "brand".
Therefore, buying a console for an exclusive game franchise it houses, is absolutely not the same as brand loyalty to the consoel brand. You could argue its loyalty to the gaming brand, but certainly not the console platform holder.
Anyway, I think we've all beaten this one to death. Wouldn't you say chaps?
Edit: What's happening with NPD today? Delayed again?
Trying to equate exclusive games with a company brand is some serious mental gymnastics.
These things are videogame consoles for crying out loud. People buy them to play games. They don't buy them to play a "brand".
Therefore, buying a console for an exclusive game franchise it houses, is absolutely not the same as brand loyalty to the consoel brand. You could argue its loyalty to the gaming brand, but certainly not the console platform holder.
Anyway, I think we've all beaten this one to death. Wouldn't you say chaps?
Edit: What's happening with NPD today? Delayed again?
D
Deleted member 11852
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The exclusives are tied to the platform but are you buying the console because the exclusive games are appealing or because the exclusive games are made by Microsoft?
Because there's a big difference.
A brand's effect on purchasing decisions is a product of experience and perception. The strength of Apple's brand is built upon its ability to endear its hardware to the general smartphone market. Brand is usually how general consumers differentiate quality of products within a certain market. Most mainstream consumers aren't interested in establishing well founded beliefs over quality and features using in depth research. They want something simple and branding offers a simplistic yet memorable way to differentiate products.
You can take the exact same hardware and software found in the Apple iphone 6S and put in some non descript smartphone and it's spec list wouldn't garner the level of sales apple will see with its tech. Hypothetically, Apple can sell junk far better than some no name can sell the best smartphone hardware on the market.
Your ability to offer competitive and quality products over time correlates well with the size of your loyal and blind fanboy base.
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