I'm Sold!

After watching a PBS report titled The Persuaders, I took the time to evaluate myself as a consumer. I thought about some recent purchases I made and carefully asked myself, “What motivated me to buy this particular product.” Focusing on a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses that I bought, I realize that I bought them for their technology. Their lens is composed of several layers that block UV rays, polarize the light, resist scratching, filter light, enhance colors, and are saltwater safe and distortion free. I may sound like I am plugging the company; I might be, but maybe that’s because Maui Jim is one of my “Lovemarks.” When I think about it, I have never purchased another set of sunglasses other than Maui Jim. I wouldn’t say that I’m crazy obsessed with the company and would travel to Hawaii just to visit the manufacture, but I would continue to buy them just as long as I believed they were the highest quality for the value. With that stated, I have looked at other sunglasses and have given them a fair chance, but the others just don’t seem to compare. It just might be the way they market them. They tend to focus more on the fashion and the style rather than the functional quality of the lens. Companies like Prada, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Versace do this all the time. This technique will never work for me. I would feel like I’m buying an over-priced piece of plastic. If the marketers want to deliver me to the companies, they will need to approach me from the technical aspect of the product.