Coming to terms with being a brand-aholic...

There are different types of shoppers in the world- the shoppers who don't care about which brand they buy, the shoppers who are making a statement by not caring about the brands that they buy and the brand-aholics who are obsessive about the brands that they buy. The latter is a description of my own shopping patterns. If I am to come to terms with this obsession that one must look at what I am trying to achieve by being a brand-aholic. One main factor is brand positioning, and the desired image that is being created by wearing a certain brand. For example, I am a horse rider and in the horse world there are many popular brands of tack, equipment, and clothing. Some of these brands are Helly Hansen and North Face. These brand are viewed as athletic and higher-end. Especially in the horse world you are seen as cool, trendy and active if you wear them. Therefore in buying products made by these companies I am supporting their positioning by wanting to be seen as so. A brand will position itself with its target market in mind. Certain brands position themselves as preppy such as Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren whereas others will position themselves as sexy such as Guess by Marciano.