EDITORIAL THE PAUW WOW
SINCE 1933
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EDITORIAL BOARD Frank DeMichele EDITOR - IN - CHIEF
Rozen Pradhan MANAGING EDITOR
Paul Lazaro OPINIONS EDITOR
Tom Cleary VARIETY EDITOR
Stephanie Danis
MARCH 10, 2010
2
Consumers Must Employ Prudence as the Homogenization of America Continues Whether we are aware of it or not, brand names have been able to penetrate deeply into the psyche of our generation. The commercialism of our society has trained us to make brand recognition the foundation for our buying habits. As the average individual contemplates a purchase, it is impossible for him or her to ignore the products which display prominent brand logos. This process results from continuous conditioning induced by expansive marketing teams present in every industry. The most common example of this force dominating our decision making process can be seen at the grocery store. Most grocery stores make “generic” store brands available for many of their products. Often, the food contained inside this product is identical to the food inside of a name brand product. Most commonly our only impetus to purchase this store brand product is its lower price. Given the choice between a brand name product and a generic
product available at the same price, the majority of shoppers will buy the name brand product. Somehow we have decided that brand name products have intrinsic quality level that is higher than “no name” products. Many times this is not the case and the most well known brand cannot be assumed to be the superior product always. We cannot allow our consumerism to continue to develop an increasing passive character. Superior products and services can only be obtained through an active effort by the consumer. When we fall into traps placed by sophisticated marketing schemes, we may not suffer in the short term. However, if companies can expect to achieve growth by investing in marketing instead of advanced technologies, we will ultimately suffer. In addition, a business built on claims and appealing ideas cannot be sustained if it lacks real value. Furthermore, the pervasive nature of this expansive brand name marketing
has led to an interesting phenomenon known as the homogenization of America. Wal-mart, Home Depot and McDonald’s are just a few of the retail establishments that can be easily accessed by almost every American in the country. While these national retail chains have the benefit of low prices and convenience, we must carefully consider the price at which these things come. Food from McDonald’s, while tasting delicious to many of us, holds little to no nutritional value. Also, customer service at mega stores like Wal-mart is virtually nonexistent. While these chains offer easy access to many products and services that were not available even in recent history, we cannot simply accept them as the best products. Prudent use of our purchasing power will ensure that the best products reach us and not simply the ones that have been presented to us.
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STAFF WRITERS Ivo Stoyanov ’10
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Peaches Dela Paz ’10
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