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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Morrus" data-source="post: 9689334" data-attributes="member: 1">I think it's more complex than that. I've listened to some podcasts which have touched on this. Brand loyalty (or sub-brand loyalty--you get bitter divides within brands like D&D or DC etc.)When you invest in a brand (or a sub-brand) you don't just invest time and money, you also invest part of yourself. It is part of your identity. Maybe not an important part of your identity (well, for most people) but a part nevertheless. So it's not just about the brand being successful, it's about your investment being the right choice. The success of the brand doesn't just validate the brand, it validates you. And people get really hot and bothered about it. I'm as guilty of it as anybody else--I'll catch myself defending Apple when some Android user makes a comment about my phone, before I realise--does it really matter? To me? Is it important that this person likes my phone?You see this with the way people strenuously argue about Android vs. Apple, Snyder DC vs. Gunn DC, and--of course--D&D editions. It's a curious psychological phenomena--people turn into unpaid brand ambassadors who evangelise a brand far more than even the brand's owners do, defending it fervently, and attacking all who might oppose it. Usually, while paying for the privilege. Brands, of course, don't condone this... but they don't exactly discourage it either. Nothing wrong with an army of free zealots on your side working hard to uphold your brand's honour!</blockquote>

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