Olivia Barr, Chapter 5, Question 6

I though the section on branding was very interesting. It was relatable for me on many levels. For example, I would never eat McDonald's if I were somewhere familiar, where I could make a different dining choice knowing that the food would be of good quality, however, when I am traveling I sometimes find myself getting McDonald's or any other well known fast food chain, because I know that even if it isn't up to my nutritional standards, it will be safely prepared, and not awful tasting. Outside of the novel, I thought about applying the branding concept to brands like Lulu Lemon, and Nike. In the case of lulu lemon, people are willing to pay $14 for a headband, of similar quality to any other head band, just because of the fact that it is from lulu lemon. Additionally, in the case of Nike people will pay upwards of $120 for tennis shoes, a baseline price of $24.97 for running shorts, and up to $50 for a single pair of socks-- all because Nike is a popular brand, and has business agreements with many famous athletes, and athletic institutions. All in all, the section led to me taking a step back and realizing how ridiculous the costs of brand loyalty are.