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| Very Loyal to the Apple Brand |
As of writing this, I am going through a difficult but very
necessary transition from one name brand to another, and I'm not talking about
batteries or clothes. I like to think of myself as pretty un-attached to
materials, and an enlightened marketer who realizes that half of the cost of an
item is often because of its brand, not its quality, and while in this society,
some companies stake their brand on high quality, high customer service, good
value, and a good social message (ahem, UMassFive), when these things are
lacking, I see no reason to be loyal.
Contrary to my optimistic view of myself, I am not impervious to marketing, or brand loyalty, and even though the physical goods I buy often (but surely not always) avoid being blindly loyal decisions, that is not the case with my search engine.
Like many, I use Google. Sometimes I forget that to Google is to search, not the other way around. I also really don't like Internet Explorer, which puts me in another majority. However, my company uses Internet Explorer as its default browser. My habit is to automatically switch straight from Bing to Google as default search. This last week, with a broken laptop, sitting on a temporary computer while waiting for my replacement, I didn't really bother. This allowed me to see Bing in a new light.
The result? I discovered that Bing has reward points. How do you gain them? By searching. How can you redeem them? On gift cards to Groupon, Amazon, and Tango, a card which apparently links to virtually any other merchant you could imagine. You can even cash in your points for donations to a cause you care about, like Boys and Girls Clubs of America, or Teach for America. And, of course, XBox Live points to get games, music, and videos.
To me, this was a total game changer. Someone at Bing had the brilliant idea to put a portion of their proceeds back into the hands of those who used their search engine. And, even though I'm more used to Google's layout, Bing's search results are actually pretty good, and a lot of the features I like in Google's search, like being able to easily convert units or see a snapshot of the weather, and find the result at the top without going to another search page, are also available. In this case, what does Google search actually do for me? What additional value do they provide for me? What additional value do they provide for society?
Absolutely nothing.
And yet I still find myself typing Google and Googling something to find my information, because I LOVE Google. I have an Android phone. I still find myself telling people to Google when I mean search. And every time I do a Google search rather than a Bing search, I'm costing myself what amounts to maybe half a penny. Not a lot, but with the amount I search, it sure adds up!
Search engines may not matter to you. You may use Ask, or Yahoo!, or any other search engine I haven't named. My point is not to get everyone to switch to Bing overnight (although it is worthwhile to know where the value is). Even for those who do switch to Bing after reading this, there is another lesson to be gained: Think about the brands you may otherwise subconsciously purchase, and ask yourself what the value is for you. Whether it's pasta sauce, nail polish, or ibuprofen, it could be worth taking a second look, and making that uncomfortable but useful transition to a new and strange brand that either saves you money, stands for something you want to support, has great customer service, or, maybe, a little of all of the above.
Contrary to my optimistic view of myself, I am not impervious to marketing, or brand loyalty, and even though the physical goods I buy often (but surely not always) avoid being blindly loyal decisions, that is not the case with my search engine.
Like many, I use Google. Sometimes I forget that to Google is to search, not the other way around. I also really don't like Internet Explorer, which puts me in another majority. However, my company uses Internet Explorer as its default browser. My habit is to automatically switch straight from Bing to Google as default search. This last week, with a broken laptop, sitting on a temporary computer while waiting for my replacement, I didn't really bother. This allowed me to see Bing in a new light.
The result? I discovered that Bing has reward points. How do you gain them? By searching. How can you redeem them? On gift cards to Groupon, Amazon, and Tango, a card which apparently links to virtually any other merchant you could imagine. You can even cash in your points for donations to a cause you care about, like Boys and Girls Clubs of America, or Teach for America. And, of course, XBox Live points to get games, music, and videos.
To me, this was a total game changer. Someone at Bing had the brilliant idea to put a portion of their proceeds back into the hands of those who used their search engine. And, even though I'm more used to Google's layout, Bing's search results are actually pretty good, and a lot of the features I like in Google's search, like being able to easily convert units or see a snapshot of the weather, and find the result at the top without going to another search page, are also available. In this case, what does Google search actually do for me? What additional value do they provide for me? What additional value do they provide for society?
Absolutely nothing.
And yet I still find myself typing Google and Googling something to find my information, because I LOVE Google. I have an Android phone. I still find myself telling people to Google when I mean search. And every time I do a Google search rather than a Bing search, I'm costing myself what amounts to maybe half a penny. Not a lot, but with the amount I search, it sure adds up!
Search engines may not matter to you. You may use Ask, or Yahoo!, or any other search engine I haven't named. My point is not to get everyone to switch to Bing overnight (although it is worthwhile to know where the value is). Even for those who do switch to Bing after reading this, there is another lesson to be gained: Think about the brands you may otherwise subconsciously purchase, and ask yourself what the value is for you. Whether it's pasta sauce, nail polish, or ibuprofen, it could be worth taking a second look, and making that uncomfortable but useful transition to a new and strange brand that either saves you money, stands for something you want to support, has great customer service, or, maybe, a little of all of the above.
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