Do you pay attention to endorsements when shopping?

[MJ5150]

Does the fact that a company is the "official supplier of ____ for _____" make any difference to you when you are shopping?

-Mike

[hover]

Nope. Tho I will say "Suzie-Q's" are the official supplier of "get in my belleh". So think of me when you buy Suzie Q's.

[XtreO]

I bought a flask of whiskey because the producer supplies some royal family. Having little time, I took that as a seal of quality. Though it is the first time I've consciously thought about it before buying a product.

[hbarcat]

Several years ago I finally had the funds to upgrade to a decent amp and all I wanted was a new SVT-3 Pro. After I bought it I was very satisfied with it for a long time because I really liked the sound of it and the features it had. But I have to admit I think a good part of the reason I bought it was because of the picture of Les Claypool on Ampeg's fliers holding one up and saying he uses it.

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Does the fact that a company is the "official supplier of ____ for _____" make any difference to you when you are shopping?

-Mike

Very rarely.

Usually the endorser and the product are so unrelated to each other that he or she is irrelevent to my decision.

And other times the product is so undistinguished from its competition that the endorsement is clearly just a paycheck or source of freebies for the endorser.

I remember being interested in Pignose amps because Terry Kath was in an ad, but off the top of my head I can't think of any other situations where I was influenced by an endorsement.

[Rocker949]

It has no effect on me. I think 99.9% of endorsements are done solely for the money.

[NoTalentHack]

Originally Posted by Rocker949

It has no effect on me. I think 99.9% of endorsements are done solely for the money.

And free gear.

Make purchases based on your own research/test-drives.

[jmattbassplaya]

Do I pay attention to endorsements? Sure. I think it`s cool seeing who`s using what.

Do I pay attention to them when looking for new equipment? To an extent. I can use it as a starting point if I like someones clean tone and would like to achieve something similar.

Do I pay attention when I actually buy something? No. It might sound great for someone else, but if it isn`t working for me then it just isn`t working and no endorsement will change my mind on it.

Use them as a tool and a starting point for finding sounds you would like to achieve, but if something isn`t working for you then move on until you find something that does.

[MakiSupaStar]

Uh pay attention to what now?

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by NoTalentHack

And free gear.

Depends on your endorsement level. Most the time endorsements just allow you to buy things at factory prices. You really only start getting paid or are given free gear if your image next to their gear proves lucrative enough for them to keep you around at all costs (literally).

[NoTalentHack]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

Depends on your endorsement level. Most the time endorsements just allow you to buy things at factory prices. You really only start getting paid or are given free gear if your image next to their gear proves lucrative enough for them to keep you around at all costs (literally).

I just figured that's what the OP was talking about -i.e. Michael Anthony in Yamaha ads, etc.

[jaywa]

No.

[dangnewt]

Sort of

For example, I bought a Subaru Forester because I need the headroom and it would make a good car for my kids to learn how to drive in. The fact the Subaru is (or was at that time) an official sponsor of the US Ski Team, didn't factor in my decision, but it is something that I feel good about.

If a company aligns itself with a particular non-profit organization I support, that actually could swing me on a close call. For example, Salsa supports Adventure Cycling so if I am looking at bike components, if I don't have a strong reason to purchase something else, I'll get the Salsa product.

I can't think of an example, but if I thought that somebody was using something because they really do need the best/most reliable, I might be swayed.

[Yerf Dog]

If Coors Light is good enough for NASCAR, it's good enough for me.

[Mike N]

No.

[DudeistMonk]

ONLY if the product is endorsed by someone who is an expert in the field regarding said topic...

So if Vic Wooten endorsed Ampeg (he is on their list of artists) this might influence my decision. (although I bought an ACME anyway)

However if Vic Wooten was endorsing Crest I'd see it as a BS ploy to market toothpaste at bass players and ignore it.

There is also a gray area, for instance if Hunter S. Thompson was to endorse Wild Turkey Whiskey (which he practically did anyway). While he was an author and not a distiller, he sure drank his fair share and he stood by that stuff.

[Disraeli Gears]

Don't think I've ever had.

[stiles72]

I have a Nikki Sixx Blackbird bass, and I use the cabinet portion of the Gene Simmons Ampeg Punisher rig. Neither were purchased because of the endorsee/signature artists, but rather because I liked the way each piece of gear performed for me. I actually really dig the fact that the Blackbird doesn't say "Nikki Sixx" on it, and the LGS cab doesn't say "Gene Simmons" anywhere on it either.

[MatticusMania]

SHAW-PING? What is this shaw ping that you speak of?

[Eric Perry]

Not one bit.