Chapter 4 talks about symbolic utility and how sometimes people buy things not because they are functional (solve problems, well built, quality product) but because they represent some status or social need. For example to be cool or fit in with others. This can be a draw for all age groups, but sometimes especially strong for middle school-high schoolers.
I remember when I was in middle school Hypercolor shirts were the coolest thing in school so when we were at the mall one day I had to have one.
Have you had any experiences buying products for symbolic utility? Or seen it with your friends? Do you think it's worth the money?
when I was in middle school and high school, there was a fad about wearing silver or platinum necklaces in which nobody knew the name of them, we just knew what they looked like. I had to buy one because everybody had one and my girlfriend at the time wanted me to wear one so I got one and wore it everyday. It's the same way with south pole and FUBU. Nobody really cared what they looked like and how ugly the clothes were, they just cared about the name on the shirt and you weren't anything if you didn't have those clothes or the necklace. It was pretty stupid
ReplyDeleteWhen we were all in 4th grade, a couple of our "popular" friends bought yo-yo's and thought it was the coolest thing ever. So pretty soon our whole group of friends decided to fit in and go get yo-yo's. It was dumb. They didn't cost much at all at the time, so I guess I don't care now that I think about it.
ReplyDeleteWhen i was in elementary shool probably second or third grade i remember getting out of school and seeing all my friends huddled around the flag pole with card booklets. I assumed that they were trading football or baseball cards (which I had plenty of) but when i got up to the flagpole i saw these goofy fake animal cards. Pokemon hit the scene in second grade and everyone had the cards except me. I had no idea what they were, why people had them, and why they were considered cool but i wanted to fit in so i bought a pack and a buddy gave me some. After having them for a couple weeks i realized that it wasn't the same as collecting sports cards of my favorite MLB, NFL, and NBA stars so i stopped and realized how assanine pokemon cards were and that they were a giant waste of money.
ReplyDeleteIn 7th grade I got a pair of seriously ugly shoes called Lugz that I didn't even think looked good, but begged my grandma to buy for me because a boy I had a crush on was telling me about how bad he wanted a pair and that they were the coolest shoes ever. The first day I wore them a popular girl in 8th grade came up to me and told me how much she liked them (HUGE deal in my 7th grade brain) so I kept wearing them and secretly hating them.
ReplyDeleteHah.. funny story, Hilary.
ReplyDeleteFollow question for everyone... in elementary school/middle school/even high school, can advertising have as much influence as your peers?
(Of course, you sometimes have a strong, strong desire for something because your friends have it, but all you need is a weak desire to pull out the wallet and buy something based on the ads-- both ways are money in the bank for the company)
When I was in middle school the brand STARTER had just came out an it was a must buy. It started out in L.A. when a rap group called N.W.A. wore these starter emblem apparell from Hats-Jackets. An since these guys were a very popular rap group it just gave it that much more hype behind owning one cause you wanted to dress an look "Cool" like the people we idioized on t.v.An I can remember when I got my what I thought was ugly Minnesota Vikings purple ughh.But it didnt matter the color as long as it said STARTER thats all we cared about an it gave my friends an I an identity an some comman bond cause we shared the same feelings toward a product.
ReplyDeleteI think that is one the strongest driving forces in consumerism. Like when the Ipod first came out it wasn't that cool to just have a MP3 player anymore you wanted the screen and everyone knew if you had an Ipod by the white Earbuds that come with it. Especially now with the rise of Touch screen phones if you see someone with a really old phone or if it doesn't it atleast have a QWERTY Keyboard people are like "wow you have a really old phone." my girlfriend's mom has been made fun of twice at her work because her phone is so old. Also things like Gucci and Lou Vuiton are rediculously over priced but people pay for it because when you see somebody with that product you instantly think they must have money or something but it get's your attention and that's what the comapnies are trying to do.
ReplyDeleteI think there are tons of similar examples out there, fads that occurred in grade school from professional wrestling to GigaPets. My personal experience is a bit different. When Fubu was popular, my parents thought it was dumb and didn't really care to get me any of it, and I didn't really press the issue. When yo-yo's were the craze, I bought one with my own money and got a lot of use out of it. I was never a great skater, but I enjoy riding my skateboard. I took part in a number of the fads of the day, but I can't say I did so while still thinking that it was dumb. Anything that I bought I did so because I enjoyed. Perhaps the fad made me enjoy it, I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in middle school. The coolest things to buy were those pointless rubber/gel bracelets. Each color meant something and you wore them if you've ever experienced what they represented. They were the dumbest things I've ever purchased in my entire life. A waste of money. I bought them because all of my friends had them and they were so many different colors that you could wear them with anything. Then I found out what each of them meant.. I stopped wearing them.
ReplyDeleteI'm also seeing a lot of the middle schoolers and highschoolers with "Silly Bands," rubber braclets that take the shape of animals, musical items, flowers, dinosaurs, etc. They are everywhere and come in just about any shape you can think of. I will confess that I own one. Only one and it was given to me by one of the girls that i coach. I think they are just as pointless as the ones I had in middle school