The other day I was messing around on Facebook and found a poll on toothpaste. It got me thinking about whether or not brands of toothpaste matter. For example in an excerpt from Blue Ocean Strategy the authors claim people are indifferent to toothpaste brands opting for whatever has the lowest price point. Here is the poll at the time of my screen shot:
My contention is that brands for niche personal products matter a lot, or at least, a lot more than you might think. For example I grew up using Crest toothpaste. That was the only toothpaste my parents ever had growing up and I would not switch to Colgate just because it cost less. Would you? Do you use the same toothpaste that you did growing up?
Incidentally, I wonder how many fights between newlyweds (or new couples living together) erupt over what the type of toothpaste to buy, what type of milk to buy, or soap to buy if they come from families using different brands. Do they just buy multiple varieties, or compromise?