# What are some products that make a huge chunk of their sales due to peer pressure? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 4, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818 "2011-07-04T16:24:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/1 "2011-07-04T16:24:07Z")
What are some (non-clothing) products that can attribute much of their success to peer pressure - meaning, they have been established as the product used by winners/the “cool” people, while people who use a competitor’s product are looked down upon? To me, it seems the top product like this is the Harley-Davidson motorcycle. For an entire subculture, it’s “ride a Harley, or don’t ride”. I haven’t thought of too many others like this in recent years. The iPhone was like this for a while, but I think the bloom is off that rose with the rise of Android smartphones. What other products use peer pressure as their primary sales driver? I’ve excluded clothing because there have been so many fads over time. If there is a clothing fad that lasted more than 10 years, maybe it’s worth including. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/2 "2011-07-04T16:28:17Z")
I really don’t think Tide laundry detergent is any better than the much lesser-priced, no-name stuff, yet it’s the only laundry detergent I’m allowed to buy. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/3 "2011-07-04T16:33:46Z")
Deodorant. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/4 "2011-07-04T16:34:31Z")
PBR amongst the “I’m drinking this because the hipsters drink it and I’m not a hipster (but I sort of am) so it’s ironic” crowd" ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Goliath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rex\_Goliath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Goliath)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/5 "2011-07-04T16:37:18Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I really don’t think Tide laundry detergent is any better than the much lesser-priced, no-name stuff, yet it’s the only laundry detergent I’m allowed to buy. For what it’s worth, consumer reports generally ranks it pretty highly, and their cold-water formula was voted best. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/6 "2011-07-04T16:38:34Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > PBR amongst the “I’m drinking this because the hipsters drink it and I’m not a hipster (but I sort of am) so it’s ironic” crowd" Okay, but would a group of hipsters deride someone who ordered, say, a microbrew instead? Just asking - I don’t drink (much) beer so I don’t know what would happen. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/7 "2011-07-04T16:39:39Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Okay, but would a group of hipsters deride someone who ordered, say, a microbrew instead? > > Just asking - I don’t drink (much) beer so I don’t know what would happen. I honestly don’t know. I can’t say I run with the hipster crowd. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/8 "2011-07-04T16:39:57Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Deodorant. Do you mean deodorant vs. not using any deodorant; or one particular brand vs. others? ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/9 "2011-07-04T16:41:36Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I honestly don’t know. I can’t say I run with the hipster crowd. Regardless, it does fit the OP as I’m sure their sales are really helped by the whole hipster thing. Good one. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/10 "2011-07-04T16:47:52Z")
> [@Rex\_Goliath](#): > > For what it’s worth, consumer reports generally ranks it pretty highly, and their cold-water formula was voted best. Well, I suppose, if you’re covered in grass stains and blood maybe. \*Of course if that’s the case, laundry detergent is probably not your number one priority. \*Based loosely on a Seinfeld joke. I don’t want to get reported for plagiarism! ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/11 "2011-07-04T16:48:04Z")
I’m going to amend my OP to exclude products that are popular because of their reputation for quality ONLY. I’m looking more for stuff that sells because of “keeping up with the Joneses” rather than “this is a great item that never breaks” as a rationale. I don’t think Honda cars sell well due to peer pressure as much as for their reputation for quality. I think if you buy a Mercedes now it might be a peer pressure thing, since their reliability is subpar these days. Having said that, what about John Deere products? I can’t decide if their sales are driven mostly by product reliability, or peer pressure. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/12 "2011-07-04T16:50:53Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Do you mean deodorant vs. not using any deodorant; or one particular brand vs. others? In general. I mean, those “Aren’t you glad you use Dial? Don’t you wish everyone did?” really turned up the general concern with having any odor at all. ---
**Author:** ![Bloodless\_Turnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@Bloodless\_Turnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bloodless_Turnip)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/13 "2011-07-04T16:54:39Z")
Any shoe that is not comfortable. Wait, are shoes clothing? ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/14 "2011-07-05T22:42:31Z")
A lot of Apple products - My co-worker was thrilled to win an ipad at work, but once he got it, he was telling us about how he had no idea how or why to use it. Jewelry - “Every kiss begins with Kay” - Kay is a jewelry chain. - “He went to Jared” - Jared is another chain. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/15 "2011-07-05T22:57:51Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Jewelry - “Every kiss begins with Kay” - Kay is a jewelry chain. > - “He went to Jared” - Jared is another chain. Advertising slogans do not equal “peer pressure.” ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/16 "2011-07-05T23:06:22Z")
There are entire industries dedicated to this. If we’re not talking about specific products, I’d easily point the finger at pretty much the entire fashion industry. “Wear this or you’re lame!” is their motto, and people, generally women, suck it up like a vacuum. You cannot tell me there is a discernable difference between a $1000 Louis Vuitton purse and a $100 one from Target, you just can’t. Yet I have friends who spend thousands on one. I always tell her “Your bag shouldn’t cost more than the items its storing!” but she has been doing this for years and only gets the brand names. People, jeans all look the same. They all fucking do. They’re bluish and are made of denim. Sure, some wear out faster, but its never worth it to buy a pair of jeans over $50. They’re all the god damn same I have personally never spent more than $100 on a single piece of clothing and I plan to stick to that until the day I die, fuck brands ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/17 "2011-07-05T23:22:31Z")
**YogSoSoth** , the OP specifically asked for non-clothing products. There is one product that is so incredibly obvious I’m surprised it wasn’t the first thing mentioned. Cigarettes. I don’t think anybody has ever picked up that habit without being influenced by some form of peer pressure. It’s not like they pick up a copy of Consumer Reports and weigh the pros and cons before they buy a pack. Granted, the addiction may be the chief driver in sales, but it’s peer pressure that brings in the new customers. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/18 "2011-07-05T23:28:36Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > **YogSoSoth** , the OP specifically asked for non-clothing products. Ooops! Missed that! Very sorry! :o ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/19 "2011-07-06T00:06:06Z")
I tend to think that Indian and Honda are at least as respected as Harley. But, yeah, iPod versus Zune. Who has a Zune? I think Microsoft finally discontinued them. Maybe Toyota, because everyone knows that Fords suck and you’d be stupid to buy one. (I’m not stating that that’s a fact, but the perception). I’d say Ikea anything in some circles. It’s the same, low quality as Walmart sells, but it’s considered “cool” laminated particle-board instead of lowbrow laminated particle-board. Newports, because Salems are for women. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/20 "2011-07-06T00:13:31Z")
Diamonds. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818.md?page=2)