Do you think about BRANDING much? Branding is the new buzz word. Every product on the market has a brand or brands.
I find the number of choices overwhelming at times. Here I am in the toilet paper aisle, just trying to get through all the options. Drowning in a world of excess, where does one begin?
I refer to my trusty coupons for guidance:
- If I buy two packages of one brand, I can save $1.00.
- If I buy one mega roll I can save $1.25.
- If I buy one package of toilet paper and one package of paper towels of the same brand, I can save $1.00.
Suddenly my head is spinning! Then, I look at the prices of these brands: $8.99, $9.99. Are they serious? They do know what we use this stuff for? Right?
I think about how my kids go through it like it grows on trees. Oh, yeah, right.
My husband loves to tell the story of his days growing up in Ireland and the one room schoolhouse with the outhouse where all he had to use were old squares of newspaper. Ouch!
I try to think about which brand my family prefers. My husband suggests, “you know, get the ‘cushy’ kind, I hate that thin, skimpy stuff.”
Several different brands that claim softness and extra cushioning. These cushy on the ‘tushy’ types all look the same to me. I try squeezing a few to see if one feels better than another. It reminds me of a commercial from my youth. Advertising at it’s best, this is forever etched on my brain. Still, what makes one brand better than another?
-Licorice
In the end, I rely on some insider knowledge from my manufacturing days. You may or may not realize store brands are typically made by one of the major producers of any given product line.
Think about it. Supermarkets are in the business of selling food not manufacturing it.
What happens is, a private label, designed by a graphic artist, is placed on the bottle of finished product, the same product with the well-known name that might even be merchandised on the shelf right next to the store brand, but at a higher price.
The added cost of the specialty brand pays for advertising and marketing. The branded company is betting on your loyalty to their name brand to keep their share of the market place.
I pick up the trusty store brand toilet paper and place in my cart, tossing the coupons aside for a savings of $2.00 or $3.00 a package at times. Every week I save 25-30% at the supermarket by shopping the sales, selecting store brands, and using coupons where it makes sense. Every penny saved puts me closer to developing my brand, www.eileenslovak.com.
Thanks for reading!
For more fascinating facts about toilet paper see:
http://encyclopedia.toiletpaperworld.com/surveys-stories/toilet-paper-statistics
Eileen Slovak 
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