As you grow up, you realise that with most things there are nearly always two brands at the top of the market tempting you to purchase them. Most successful brands sell more than one product, brand familiarity and loyalty increase greatly after several satisfactory purchases. Here are my preferences when it comes to one-on-one rivalry.
Ford vs Holden
ford
A very active rivalry in Australia, most people can offer a preference here. I like Fords, grew up with them as my parents have owned various models. I do concede that Holden have made some impressive makes – Monaro and their luxury cars such as Statesmans in the early 90s come to mind. However, I think Ford have continually made well designed cars on a more consistent basis from the late 60’s GT Falcons to the big boxy Fairlanes of the 80s, sleek EF/EL of the mid 90s and the BA’s from 2002-04 (and onwards). Even the ugly AU is starting to grow on me, 11 years on.
Colgate vs Macleans
Macleans
I remember colgate as being the sweet and fun toothpaste from my primary school days. Well I have grown up and my preferences have changed. The extreme clean whitening product from Macleans is just to tempting to pass up.
Sony vs Panasonic – Indoor stereo system
Panasonic
I have both stereos at my house, I feel like the Panasonic layout and button configuration is less intimidating and carries a lot of features, that are easy to use.
Sony Playstation vs Xbox – psII and xbox original
X-box
Who am I kidding? I don’t play games at all these days but I have played a game or two on both of these consoles. While I am not much of an admirer of the Microsoft computer software empire, I do admit they know what they’re doing with video-game entertainment.
Nintendo vs Sega – super nintendo vs sega megadrive
Nintendo
I couldn’t do the above example without going back to 1990s mania, the two machines that taught kids how to waste their time indoors. While Sonic and Bubsy were addictive, you really can’t compete with Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros.
Canon vs Nikon
Nikon
Canon are known for many consumer electronic appliances from colour printers, video camcorders and Single Lens Reflex cameras. Nikon is only known for their cameras. They have had a good product since the 50s (earlier than that even) and their reputation has stuck with them till this day.
I have noticed that buying into the Canon system seems a bit cheaper than Nikon. Canon advertises a lot in Australia. They sponsor sports and appear more. Instead of persuading me, the over-representation of Canon puts me further away from buying into the system.
Unfortunately, the success of the two brands have caused them to be stingy with what features they offer entry-level buyers. While their competitors Olympus, Sony and Pentax offer in-body image stabilisation on nearly all their entry level cameras, Nikon and Canon deprive their user of having this technology causing them to buy more expensive Vibration Reduction lenses every time. My next purchase will probably be from a competitor. I still prefer Nikon although I do admit this has to do with the fact that I am the owner of a Nikon F65 film SLR.
Adidas vs Nike – Shoes
Adidas
I’ve got a pair of Adidas Samba that I bough back in 2004 and while a bit of stitching has come undone around the toe region, they still serve me well. Adidas has a sensible sense of design and style and don’t usually put out experimental or strange shoes. This is a plus for me. During my upbringing I have always been able to find a decent Adidas shoe on the market. The fact that they re-stock old shoes like gazelle’s leaves me at peace to always be able to purchase a shoe that I am fond of regardless of when they originally came out.
Coke vs Pepsi
Pepsi
I like coke for mixing with cheap or bad quality spirits. I like Pepsi to drink as a beverage because I feel it is less fizzy and less sweet. What I really enjoy is chinotto soft drinks when eating at Italian restaurants and cafes but that’s another case altogether.
Nokia vs Sony Ericsson – Mobile phones
Nokia
While I am always impressed with Sony Ericsson’s high end phones and their incredible features, Nokia provide customers on all levels adequate solutions. I was in need of a cheap phone last year and Nokia provided a simple, small and elegant phone for a very affordable price. For this reason I prefer Nokia as they have a phone for any and every user.
I can’t think of any other battles at the moment. I will add some more if needed. What are your preferred brands and did I miss any other close rivalries?