Buying shampoo: A cautionary tale about the failure of marketing

I think it's funny that the marketing is the product now and not even the material inside?<p>Ever look at the back of a generic equivalent of a shampoo now? You see something like this (and read carefully):<p><i>This product is not manufactured or distributed by BigCorp, distributors of BigBrand Shampoo"</i><p>Okay, so I'm guessing BigCorp doesn't even make their own shampoo anymore either. It's all made in the same plant and everyone just brands it what they want.

A consumer who is proud that he can run on autopilot through a store, guided by brand association rather than rational thought? And proud of it? We have truly entered the next phase of consumerism.

If you just don't care - and it seems to me that when the OP makes purchasing decisions, he just doesn't care about a range of things - then all the marketing in the world won't help. I mean, if you don't take notice of the bottle from whence you apply stuff directly to your head several times a week, are you really going to take more notice to the same bottle on television or in a magazine?

The shampoo aisle looks different if you have long hair.

I'm surprised he knew what brands of running shoes or tomato sauce he wanted. Confronted with a selection of functionally identical boxes at the supermarket or shoe store, I frequently stand stymied for several minutes.<p>Eventually I realize that there is no efficient choice possible on the basis of packaging, and resort to making selections by unit price--or choosing a randomly distributed sample in hopes of remembering the results.

I think we're interpreting this wrongly - this sounds like a piece of satire about consumerism and how marketing companies see their job and consumers. "Marketing trumps product quality, consumers operate solely on impulse, are insecure and clueless and don't care about price. It's Marketing's job to tell consumers what they need, without us they are lost!"

I look at ads to know what products are available (i.e. not at all), and then always buy the store's own brand. I can never tell the difference from usage, and its way cheaper

When I shop for shampoo I look for two things: unscented, cheap as possible.<p>What cares what brand it is?

I wonder if he's ever tried to buy orange juice.