Are you against sales?

[Cthulhu7]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

Oh, I can totally see it if that's your field. Same way I'd be shocked if anyone in engineering was coding on a mac. The thing is, I'd wager that over 95% of mac owners aren't graphic designers.

I've been thinking about this a lot this afternoon. You know who's the best at marketing exclusivity? Car companies. Look at Honda & Acura, or Toyota & Lexus. They're the same companies, just different "levels" of luxury. There is no way it costs $20k more to build the luxury brand of the car, and often times the cheaper version is just as reliable/efficient/what have you, but people pay for the exclusivity of the higher label. I would love to study the psychology behind it.

What's funny, is that this psychology only works in certain areas of the world. In Japan, there is no Acura, Lexus, or Infiniti. There is only Honda, Toyota, and Nissan, respectively.

It's strange that only some cultures seem to attribute name to status.

[Cthulhu7]

Originally Posted by CharlieDog

Oh god. Here we go again. Apple is very very good at marketing their "exclusive" brand. That's what they do and they, obviously, do it well.

The problem is everyone who likes apple sounds brainwashed into believing it's superior. It's not. You could build a computer that does the same thing, better, for less. Why buy Apple except for the superiority/exclusivity?

I've never understood this. Apple has never marketed their products as superior, or exclusive. Steve Jobs was adamant about letting the products sell themselves, and their ads generally just said "here's what our product does. oh, and it's shiny." It's only in the post and pre Jobs eras that we see celebrities and big names promoting their products.

[SizzleDog]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

The thing is, I'd wager that over 95% of mac owners aren't graphic designers.

I 110% agree with you there. Thing is, those of us who are graphic designers get lumped in with the "hipsters" all the time, and it's a neverending battle to explain that we have macs because we need them, not because we want to fit in or look cool. It's exhausting.

For design, Macs just work. If I really wanted to explain why, it would take awhile. But instead.... uhhh.... you know the scene in Ratatouille, where Colette is freaking out at Linguini? This scene:

Colette: WHAT at are you doing?
Linguini: [stammering] Uh, I'm cutting vegetables. I'm cutting the... vegetables?
Colette: No! You waste energy and time! You think cooking is a cute job, eh? Like Mommy in the kitchen? Well, Mommy never had to face the dinner rush when the orders come flooding in, and every dish is different and none are simple, and all of the different cooking times, but must arrive at the customer's table at exactly the same time, hot and perfect! Every second counts, you CANNOT be MOMMY!

Yeah. That's how designers feel. Macs make it tolerable.

[Cthulhu7]

Back to the original topic if this thread, I'm all for sales. I'm a poor college student, so if i can avoid paying full price, i do it.
There are 3 outlet malls within 40 minutes of my apartment. If i want to do some serious clothes shopping, i go there. I used to be a thrift store junkie, but then they got all hipster-infected. Now it's all clothes I'd never wear, even if they were free.

[~Jessie~]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

Oh, I can totally see it if that's your field. Same way I'd be shocked if anyone in engineering was coding on a mac. The thing is, I'd wager that over 95% of mac owners aren't graphic designers.

I've been thinking about this a lot this afternoon. You know who's the best at marketing exclusivity? Car companies. Look at Honda & Acura, or Toyota & Lexus. They're the same companies, just different "levels" of luxury. There is no way it costs $20k more to build the luxury brand of the car, and often times the cheaper version is just as reliable/efficient/what have you, but people pay for the exclusivity of the higher label. I would love to study the psychology behind it.

In most parts of the world, there is no Acura, Infiniti, Lexus, etc. The Acura TSX is actually the Honda Accord in Europe and Asia. The Honda Accord was created for the American market.

Take a look at American car companies. Ford owns Lincoln and Mercury.

My favorite car company is Honda (I've driven Acuras and Hondas since I've gotten my license). Right now I have an MDX. In order to get the comparable Honda (Pilot) with all of the bells and whistles of my MDX, the cost would've been the same. Not to mention, the Pilot doesn't really compare to the MDX.

I'm sure we can all agree that you can make more powerful PCs than Macs. I just like Apple. After having bad experiences with a couple of PC companies, I've switched to Apple and have had amazing luck with their products. I'm not spending $2k on their computers, I'm not buying the $650 iPads. I'm far from being a hipster. LOL. If someone was in love with HP and only used HP products, that would be acceptable... but people are always against Apple and you're automatically a hipster if you prefer their products.

Who cares if 95% of the users aren't graphic designers? I'm sure 95% of Ferrari owners aren't race car drivers, either.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by ~Jessie~

Who cares if 95% of the users aren't graphic designers? I'm sure 95% of Ferrari owners aren't race car drivers, either.

I don't care at all! I'm not trying to offend you! I'm just saying that apple, acura, under armor, etc all have found success by not allowing their prices to drop below a certain threshold--which was the other side of the story for the topic of this thread.

If you love macs, buy them! It doesn't make a difference to me. I'm just fascinated by the business/marketing strategies of different corporations--I thought what I was posting was relevant to your question.

[Cthulhu7]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

I don't care at all! I'm not trying to offend you! I'm just saying that apple, acura, under armor, etc all have found success by not allowing their prices to drop below a certain threshold--which was the other side of the story for the topic of this thread.

If you love macs, buy them! It doesn't make a difference to me. I'm just fascinated by the business/marketing strategies of different corporations--I thought what I was posting was relevant to your question.

Similarly, did you know that grey goose vodka is no better than any other? The guy who created it couldn't get it to sell, so he jacked up the price and voila! Same guy also brought Jagermeister to the states.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by Cthulhu7

Similarly, did you know that grey goose vodka is no better than any other? The guy who created it couldn't get it to sell, so he jacked up the price and voila! Same guy also brought Jagermeister to the states.

That one I didn't know about--too funny. I bet the wine industry is a master of pricing in desire for their product too.

[OwnedByBCs]

The thing with marketing is that it is based on the FACT that most consumers are idiots.

I "mix" technology; I have an iPhone and a PC, but not for any ideological reason, but because that is what works for me. I can't tell you how frustrated I get when anyone tries to argue friggin' brands of computers and phones, why does it matter? If I want to go out and spend $2000 on a Mac which has a ton of features I want, who cares? I am not a Mac fanatic, I am a functionality fanatic. I don't buy anything on a whim and I don't buy anything for any ideological reason, because I think all of that is completely stupid. I happen to have a PC because I am poor and needed a computer, not because I have some silly beef with Mac. I bought an iPhone because it does everything I need x50, not because I am a hipster Mac obsessed spoiled rich kid.

The

[~Jessie~]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

I don't care at all! I'm not trying to offend you! I'm just saying that apple, acura, under armor, etc all have found success by not allowing their prices to drop below a certain threshold--which was the other side of the story for the topic of this thread.

If you love macs, buy them! It doesn't make a difference to me. I'm just fascinated by the business/marketing strategies of different corporations--I thought what I was posting was relevant to your question.

I'm not offended- I was just replying to what you wrote. You said:

Oh, I can totally see it if that's your field. Same way I'd be shocked if anyone in engineering was coding on a mac. The thing is, I'd wager that over 95% of mac owners aren't graphic designers.

So if you're in graphic design, it's okay to have a Mac- it's understandable. But 95% of people have Macs for no reason.

My reason is that they work well for me. Thing is, no one has to explain themselves nor do they have to have a reason for having, say, an HP.

I'm the ultimate researching consumer- I always read and research before jumping into anything.

Okay, so say I want a top of the line Honda Accord (no navigation). They start at $27,600.

The comparable Acura is the TSX. With those same features of the Accord, they start at $30,000. IMO, it's a better looking car as well.

So, if you want a features-filled Honda, you're paying about the same price as Honda's "luxury" brand, Acura.

Base Acuras (which most of them only come in base and then with navigation) aren't much more (or are the same price!) as fully loaded Hondas.

And Acura DOES let prices go under the MSRP. Sales, offers, and of course the used market. I can't see how it even compares to Apple and Under Armour.