# 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:** 3
**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 7, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/41 "2011-07-07T04:39:35Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > Power tools > Interior Design products (including Kitchen, bathroom etc) > Racing bicycles > Vacuum cleaners > Fancy washer dryer > Boats > Neighborhoods, ie, rich neighbors to not so rich > Ugg boots Seriously, did you even read the OP? The topic isn’t asking people to list _things_. Do you really think people buy vacuums or power tools because of peer pressure? Interior Design Products? What does that even mean? How does one go about buying neighborhoods or rich neighbors? ---
**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 7, 2011, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/42 "2011-07-07T04:41:29Z")
> [@HubZilla](#): > > GMC/Dodge/Ford Trucks. Real men drive manly American pickup trucks. There was even a commercial “There is no Japanese word for pick-up truck”. > > My SiL tried to pull the same stunt when she looked at my Nissan rice-burner (a pathetic Titan, no less). She huffed “We only buy American”. We checked the VINs: My car was made in Georgia, her Chevy was made in Mexico. Whenever I see a bumper sticker that says “Don’t put my flag on your import” I always think to myself “My Honda is more American then your Ford.” ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/43 "2011-07-07T04:59:05Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Seriously, did you even read the OP? The topic isn’t asking people to list _things_. > [@](#): > > Do you really think people buy vacuums or power tools because of peer pressure? Particular brand of vacuum cleaner or power tool over others? > [@](#): > > How does one go about buying neighborhoods or rich neighbors? Buying a house in one town over the next town? > [@](#): > > Interior Design Products? What does that even mean? Such as Ralph Lauren paint color over other brand or certain material over other? ---
**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 7, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/44 "2011-07-07T05:08:35Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > Particular brand of vacuum cleaner or power tool over others? Exactly, this thread is about what those brands might be. Hoover? Dyson, Bissel? Dirt Devil? Dewalt? Milwaukee? Craftsman? Mikita? B&D? Skil? Huqvarna? What are your thoughts on that? Same for everything else you said. We’re not just listing products, but specific things that people buy due to peer pressure, not just genres of products. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/45 "2011-07-07T05:25:27Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I don’t think any of those really qualify here. I don’t think anyone buys a TV due to peer pressure, they buy a TV because they want to watch TV, they want/need entertainment. Kitchen appliances? You’re going to need to expand on that. Unless you have a way to cook chicken, boil water or freeze ice cream with out kitchen appliances, I’d consider them a necessity in life. And as for Weber Gas Grills, they truly are high quality and more then worth the extra expense. A Weber is typically IME about double the cost of a similarly sized grill but built much much better. Again, IME, Weber’s tend to last 10-15 years (even kept outdoors and getting used 2-3 times per week) where other grills will last 2-3 years under similar circumstances. Brand envy? Size, type and brand of TV? Bosch dishwasher over Maytag, Kitchen Aid food processor over Cuisinart, Allclads vs. T-fal etc? I have a stainless Weber gas grill. I love it but it took me years of wanting one and envying looking at friend’s and neighbor’s to finally get one. I guess America’s Weber gas grill envy has been all along just a figment of my imagination. There are other good gas grill brands out there but Weber is the national to-get brand… a status symbol so to speak. But then I may be wrong as I’ve been wrong plenty times before. I sometimes live in a bubble. I guess I should have expounded a bit but I thought the idea was self-explanatory and I was willing to go into discussion if need be. This is a discussion site, no? Pardon moi. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/46 "2011-07-07T05:37:01Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Exactly, this thread is about what those brands might be. Hoover? Dyson, Bissel? Dirt Devil? Dewalt? Milwaukee? Craftsman? Mikita? B&D? Skil? Huqvarna? What are your thoughts on that? > > Same for everything else you said. **We’re not just listing products** , but specific things that people buy due to peer pressure, not just genres of products. **Products.** > [@](#): > > **What are some products that make a huge chunk of their sales due to peer pressure?** > 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 [SIZE=“4”]products use peer pressure as their primary sales driver?[/SIZE]** 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:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/47 "2011-07-07T10:10:24Z")
What about Tupperware, Home Interiors, Partylite, Mary Kay and all the other products that get sold via home ‘party’ selling? You can buy food storage items, knickknacks, candles and make up all sorts of places, but folks buy those particular over priced items because they feel pressured to help out a friend. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/48 "2011-07-07T10:53:18Z")
Ever see the movie ‘The Jones’, about a ‘family’ created by a marketing company who’s purpose was to pier pressure those around them to buy certain items. To a certain extent this is used in a wide range of marketing products. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/49 "2011-07-07T15:11:18Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > Brand envy? > > Size, type and brand of TV? I am still not seeing how people buy TVs due to “peer pressure.” Name a brand of TV that fits this criteria: > [@](#): > > 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? ---
**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 7, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/50 "2011-07-07T15:22:04Z")
I thought of another one (maybe, since my thread is morphing into something else): Audiophiles are pretty snobby in general, but what about people who still use turntables? They seem to look down on digital music users. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/51 "2011-07-07T16:08:38Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I am still not seeing how people buy TVs due to “peer pressure.” Name a brand of TV that fits this criteria: I don’t know perhaps, say, this [81" screen HD TV](http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-WD-82738-82-Inch-DLP-HDTV/dp/B003HPB97I/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1310054321&sr=1-4) or a big Sony your dentist friend has compared to your Walmart house brand tv? I have TV envy: I’d like bigger screen better brand tv with split screen etc. I know some people have much better TV than my Insignia 24". I had real hard time finding the cable box remote control code for my little tv and the picture quality isn’t the greatest etc but for now it’ll have to do. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 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/587818/52 "2011-07-07T16:24:53Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Ever see the movie ‘The Jones’, about a ‘family’ created by a marketing company who’s purpose was to **pier** pressure those around them to buy certain items. > > To a certain extent this is used in a wide range of marketing products. My bolding. Is that when you threaten to throw someone into the ocean with cement loafers if they don’t use the right brand of toothpaste? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/53 "2011-07-07T17:27:59Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > I don’t know perhaps, say, this [81" screen HD TV](http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-WD-82738-82-Inch-DLP-HDTV/dp/B003HPB97I/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1310054321&sr=1-4) or a big Sony your dentist friend has compared to your Walmart house brand tv? > > I have TV envy: I’d like bigger screen better brand tv with split screen etc. I know some people have much better TV than my Insignia 24". I had real hard time finding the cable box remote control code for my little tv and the picture quality isn’t the greatest etc but for now it’ll have to do. ☹ Here’s the key point: do you want an 82" TV because 82" TVs kick ass, or do you want an 82" TV because your cool friends and/or neighbors have one, and you want to be able to say you have one too? Based on what you said above, it sounds like the former - which means your purchase of an 82" TV would not be due to peer pressure. I agree with people who have mentioned Harley Davidson motorcycles. Some people buy them because they genuinely like cruiser-style bikes, and/or want an “American” motorcycle - but I think a lot of folks buy HD’s because their friends have them. Same deal with smartphones (any brand). While they can be occasionally useful, companies are perpetually rolling out the latest and greatest, and people repeatedly stand in line overnight to be among the first to buy them. Christ, _nothing_ is _that_ useful. The only reason to stand in line to buy the latest iPhone or Droid is because you want to be the coolest kid on the block. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/54 "2011-07-07T17:57:41Z")
I’m not sure if music and movies fall into this category, but people will often line up hours ahead of time for a new CD/DVD/tickets. When I worked at a video store, we often had people fighting over the latest offering. Rent something that came out over a year ago? Unthinkable. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/55 "2011-07-07T19:06:30Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Here’s the key point: > > do you want an 82" TV because 82" TVs kick ass, > > or > > do you want an 82" TV because your cool friends and/or neighbors have one, and you want to be able to say you have one too? > > Based on what you said above, it sounds like the former - which means your purchase of an 82" TV would not be due to peer pressure. > > I agree with people who have mentioned Harley Davidson motorcycles. Some people buy them because they genuinely like cruiser-style bikes, and/or want an “American” motorcycle - but I think a lot of folks buy HD’s because their friends have them. > > Same deal with smartphones (any brand). While they can be occasionally useful, companies are perpetually rolling out the latest and greatest, and people repeatedly stand in line overnight to be among the first to buy them. Christ, _nothing_ is _that_ useful. The only reason to stand in line to buy the latest iPhone or Droid is because you want to be the coolest kid on the block. I often have people coming over to hang out at my place (because I’m single I think..) in the evenings and weekends. A lots times we drink beer and end up watching TV. Most of them have nice big Samsungs, Mitsubishi, Sony, and Panasonics at home. I can’t afford to get the best most current large TV so we usually put my small TV on the coffee table to watch. It makes for cozy hanging out but I get a lots of shit from these guys that I’m cheap or “this sucks” “let’s go the corner bar” etc etc. I don’t always wanna go to a bar. I want a nice big plasma TV like them so I can shut 'em up for good and feel like I too belong to the time. And also to put the TV where it belongs (against the wall) and see the little prints and the little white balls easier… who doesn’t (maybe not, a lot of people go w/o TV or minimize its presence these days I hear)?? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/56 "2011-07-07T19:34:44Z")
> [@brittekland](#): > > I often have people coming over to hang out at my place (because I’m single I think..) in the evenings and weekends. A lots times we drink beer and end up watching TV. Most of them have nice big Samsungs, Mitsubishi, Sony, and Panasonics at home. I can’t afford to get the best most current large TV so we usually put my small TV on the coffee table to watch. It makes for cozy hanging out but I get a lots of shit from these guys that I’m cheap or “this sucks” “let’s go the corner bar” etc etc. I don’t always wanna go to a bar. I want a nice big plasma TV like them so I can shut 'em up for good and feel like I too belong to the time. And also to put the TV where it belongs (against the wall) and see the little prints and the little white balls easier… who doesn’t (maybe not, a lot of people go w/o TV or minimize its presence these days I hear)?? OK, I was wrong; it does indeed sound like your lust for a big-ass TV is driven by peer pressure. Do you think that most large TV sales are driven by the same motive? ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/57 "2011-07-07T19:58:27Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > OK, I was wrong; it does indeed sound like your lust for a big-ass TV is driven by peer pressure. > > Do you think that most large TV sales are driven by the same motive? Mahbe. I can’t rule the possibility out. I think I can assume the better brand TV makers rely on a certain percentage of their sales to peer pressure/envy. After all nice large TVs are access, luxury that can make someone’s moderate existence more apparent. I know that it only took one of our friends to get one before all others did.. of course except me. I do not have their caliber of access cash. You can’t imagine someone’s spouse saying “I think we are the only one still watching ancient analog TV. Let’s get a plasma HD TV with a good size screen.”? ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/58 "2011-07-07T20:52:49Z")
> [@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. I often get grease splatters on the fronts of my shirts. If I use anything other than Tide, I have to pretreat them (and often I don’t notice until I go to wear the shirt again). If I use Tide, no pretreating required. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/59 "2011-07-07T20:58:13Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Christ, _nothing_ is _that_ useful. Some dude in China sold a kidney to get an iPad II. That’s nutty, and I’m saying that as an apple lover. How about soft drinks? A lot of no name brands (PC, Noname, etc) taste just as good as the name brands (at least to me) but I wouldn’t buy PC Ginger Ale if I had guests coming over - I would buy Canada Dry. Now, just to prove myself wrong, I only ever buy Diet Coke because I actually do prefer the taste of it. I wish the PC stuff tasted better because it’s literally 10 time less expensive. (i.e. Diet Coke is about $1 a can - PC diet cola is 10 cents). ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-products-that-make-a-huge-chunk-of-their-sales-due-to-peer-pressure/587818/60 "2011-07-07T21:15:58Z")
lance armstrong bracelets, engagement rings (size of the rock, not the ring itself), and oddly enough… bottled water. personally i drink out of the tap but i have some friends and ex gfs who think that a good bottle of water is a major status symbol in the gym. either the disposable bottle itself or nalgenes, or etc. [Previous 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) [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=4)