We all expect higher end products to be better, purely because they are more expensive. But if you look hard enough then I'm sure you won't feel as though you absolutely have to but high end products again.
The media is constantly pushing new products onto our televisions, into our newspapers and covering our magazines. And we just accept that there is a new product that we apparently need, and head to the nearest shop with our cards or cash, almost as if it were a necessity to our existence. We just accept it. If you think that you don't do this then the next time an advert pops on to your television screen in the middle of your favourite program, concentrate on what the first things that came into your mind really were. There was probably something about how the product would be good for you or how you need to pick it up next time you're near a counter of that brand. How many new products have you bought just because you have been told it's great on an advert? My answer is quite a few. This is the hypodermic needle model this suggests that the media is injecting us (the passive audience) with the idea that we need this product.
The hypodermic needle model (included briefly in my essay) affects our consumption. This model suggests that we are mindlessly and thoughtlessly buying the products that are advertised purely because we are told to. The need for stuff is growing continuously, but in reality we don't need all of these things, how much of the makeup that you own really gets a lot of use? And adding to it every time a new product is advertised is hardly going to help the situation. To put it more clearly, I am stating that people shouldn't buy products that they don't need, but in this statement I am being hypocritical, as I do this constantly.
Although the majority of the makeup I own isn't from a high end brand, I cannot stress enough how much makeup I have that I just don't need, I doubt all of this will get used up buy its expiry date, but I'm holding on to it anyway. In fact the majority of my products are unopened. I hated having all of these products I never used so I the things that weren't opened I gave away, and the things that were open I sanitised and passed on to someone who would get more use out of it than I was. I used to see this as a collection of things that I like but now I just see it as money that I have wasted on bottles full of chemicals. But I have come to a point were I no longer want to be part of this consumer driven society where the commodity fetishism is driving us all..
Less stuff, less stress right? Everything feels clearer now I have cleared away the things that I don't use. Before I considered myself a savvy consumer when in reality I was a sucker consumer, but now I completely believe that I am a more savvy consumer.
What some people don't realise is that many high end brands, are owned by 'drugstore' brands, or own 'drugstore' brands, meaning that many of their products are actually extremely similar! (if you want to find out about what brands are connected then I have also written a post on this)
So why do people pay £31 for a blusher from Chanel (maybe something like this) when they can get something that is extremely similar, so similar in fact that the owners of the brands are the same for a fraction of the price, like Bourjois for £7.49 (for example this product), I have found a video comparing the two, this comparison is from a makeup artist, so if it's okay for him then why not the average makeup user too?
What are the main things that appeal to you when buying a high end makeup product? The adverts that have been showing you the products, the people around you, the ingredients, the formula, the finish, the packaging, the shade range, or is it just the brand name? Let me know what you personally think that has made you buy a high end makeup product, because here is what I have found:
I asked 6 people 'What draws their attention to higher end makeup?' Giving the options listed, and for each they said yes to I marked a tally, so here are the results:
Adverts: I I I I I I
Shade range: I I I I
Ingredients: I I I
Formula: I I I I I
Friends/family members/others opinions: I I I I I I I
Finish: I I I
The lasting power: I I I I I
Packaging: I I I I I I
Brand name: I I I I I I I I I
So nine out of the ten people I asked agreed that a brand name is something that draws them in. Let me know what draws your attention the most to higher end products in the comments! But if everyone was to ignore it would the brand name would become irrelevant? If so then all we as the consumer would be interested in was the quality of a product, value for money and possibly other peoples opinions.
But can't you get the same thing from cheaper, lower end makeup? Yes! A lot of the time it is possible for you to find something that is the same in a lot of ways (so that the difference is hardly noticeable). But it's clear from the results I gathered that consumers are influenced by the name of the brand, but just because the name is there it doesn't make the product change. Next time you are buying a high end product, you should ask yourself if you would buy the exact same product if it wasn't Chanel, Burberry or something of the same stature. Do you actually need that particular product or could you buy something the same or extremely similar for a fraction of the price? Let me know with a comment!
The AIDA model (which I also mentioned in my essay) shows that the companies create this need for the products. First they create the awareness, then the interest and the desire. The companies that are producing the adverts are the reason we are creating the first three steps of the model and all the consumers do is mindlessly fulfil the action. We assume that because a high end brand name is on the product it's going to be great and work well for us, but everybody has different skin. So a product that works for one person isn't necessarily going to work for you, which means that a cheaper brand could possibly benefit you more, even though it may be looked down on by other people.
The desire from this model can be created by the company in a number of ways. Certain techniques are used by companies to create this by causing an awareness, and interest. Some brands sponsor programmes that have an audience that is the same or similar to the target audience of the product or brand. One example of this is that the programme Made in Chelsea, is sponsored by Rimmel (the majority of viewers for Made in Chelsea is young female audience as is the target audience for the makeup brand Rimmel). They create a higher awareness of the brand or product, some PR companies send out their products to certain people who write blogs, or create videos on YouTube to promote their products with reviews and recommendations. Some bloggers write sponsored posts, which they are paid for in order to create an awareness of the product or brand in general, the readers and followers of the blog then become aware of the particular product but read the review, and how it works, and the writers opinions it so their interest grows.
If the reader only follows one blog who has written about the product they might research into it more to increase interest higher, the desire then occurs, some of the time the reader feels although they need to buy the product simply because so many other people have it (I mean who hasn't felt like this?) So the desire could stem from actually wanting the product, or it could be because they are envious of the people that already own it. When the desire has grown to the point where they believe that they have to have the product they take action, which is the last step in the model, and purchase the product, which is giving in to consumer society, and in turn also giving in to capitalism.
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