I tried to interview as many as I could, however, finding a "younger generation" stranger living in other countries proved to be difficult...:) So, the following few interviews were conducted via skype and no video is available. Anyway, here we go...
Flo's Wow Brand is Apple. He said "Well, when one owns an Apple product, one becomes a techie...a saavy person who is in 'touch' with technology. Steve Jobs' people created a lifestyle product, and a whole culture associated with owning that one product. When asked why staying in touch with technology intrigues him and why "life style"is important, he said "Well, lifestyle I did mention, but didn't elaborate. For instance, in Singapore, evereyone, if not almost everyone has an Iphone/pad/Mac.....and every few months people are willing to plonk hard earned cash for an upgrade. No matter if this is just an additional memory or one or two functions, people become enslaved to that culture of ownership (i.e. the things you own end up owning you)." Per Flo's assessment, Apple has done a good job that created products that make people caught up into the "owning a product to be part of socially in to do" culture. To him, people are just social creatures, those who have the money to spend, want to spend it on things that make them 'socially accepted'. He said it's the same thing like the blackberry phenomena in Indonesia. It's either you lead (i.e. first mover) or you follow. Either way, you end up getting into the culture of owning a product to be part of "the norm". He also mentioned something about Apple being able to create a differentiator between their products and others (i.e. Apple vs. the rest). Other example? He said "Look at Levi's."
Bert's Wow Brand is Standard Chartered, in particular their customer service, iBanking, cash-back products and all other privileges. He also did mention about Apple as his other brand of choice. He said "Apple created a new culture that worship simplicity, high-tech and I-am-different." But to him what hooked him the most is the functionality of Apple products. In his words when asked, he said "Their products just work."
Use's Wow Brand is Sony and Honda. He likes Sony because they always come up with new technology that leaves the rest of players behind. When asked what are the specifics of this brand that make him like it, he said "Picture quality, sound quality, after service quality and design." He has been a big fan of Sony decades ago and will continue to buy their products. He also mentioned that he liked Honda. Why? He just had good experience with their cars and had no issue with it since day one. To him, functionality and easy maintenance win Honda hands down against other brands.
Looking back at the interviews, I observed that to these people, Wow brand means either a brand that give you the "status", both being a culture-leader/early adopter and follower, or a brand that gives you the functionality as promoted. It could be due to the nature of products, where a higher cost would lead you to demand its functionality (like cars) or a simple communication tool but always considered "in" (like mobile phone).
As for me? My Wow Brand is BMW. Why? It has beautiful design, great engine, nice drive and looks cool. Do I have one? No. Too costly, can only afford BMX....:)
