I Pledge Allegiance to the Brand...

Apple electronics, Nike shoes; well, Nike for just about anything sports-related, Crest toothpaste, North Face winter clothing, and the list goes on and on.  These are the brands I repeatedly buy from over and over again.  But why?  I couldn't use any facts or statistics that make Nike shoes better than Adidas shoes, yet whenever I'm buying new shoes I wouldn't even consider leaving Nike.com.  Or when I'm at Walgreens I always grab the Crest toothpaste without hesitation.  Does it more effectively clean my teeth than what Colgate makes? I have no idea, I've just always used Crest.  Is there any significant difference between the toothpastes? Probably not, yet I'm always sure I'm grabbing the tube of Crest instead of all the others.

I think there are many things that factor into brand loyalty, with one reason being easiness.  There's no denying that buying products is much easier if you can narrow everything down to only looking at the products your specific brand produces, which ties into the apparent increase of a lazy culture in America. 

I believe that brands try to gain loyalty by creating a battle with their rival.  Nothing conjures up more polarized and strong opinions than a declared war.  I'm sure everyone remembers the old Mac vs PC ads, and it's hard to think of a more polarized brand battle than the hardcore Mac vs PC people.  I think the idea that someone gets to join a group of people while facing an opposing group makes the brand loyalty stronger for them because of the classic mob mentality.

What are some of your brand loyalties?  How did you develop them?  How do you think people develop their brand loyalties?  How do you think companies encourage brand loyalty?