Brand Loyalty

They talk about it in board rooms every day.

Executives at toilet paper companies gather in big, glassy conference rooms to figure out how they can keep people coming back to the store for their version (is it really that unique?) of the fluffy stuff wrapped around a little cardboard roll.

Over the course of my television career, I've been in many a meeting to hear people dish on strategies that keep people loyal to a particular news station.

Sometimes your brand loyalty is influenced by your family. My parents moved the fam to Cincinnati when I was six years old. I grew up on Crest toothpaste and Ivory soap. To this day you won't find anything else in my house. I honestly can't remember the last time I brushed my teeth with anything other than Crest.

I guess I'm a loyal P & G kid.

Sometimes your brand loyalty is influenced by your friends. Political parties are definitely a brand - and most of my friends growing up came from Conservative families. I started supporting the Republican party when I was 12 years old and I wrote a letter to President George H.W. Bush.

I've been a registered Republican ever since*.

Current events have a way of affecting a person's brand loyalty, too. Just ask anyone who followed that whole Finger in the Wendy's Chili fiasco. The company took a major hit after the news was full of stories about the digitized chili. Wendy's even gave away free Frostys to try and lure people back.

It didn't really work for me, I'm afraid to say.

Most of the time, I'm a Kroger Brand kind of girl. Why pay an arm and a leg for something when the next thing on the shelf is likely made at the same factory?

That said, I've got a short list of things I won't waver from.

• Viva towels
• Crest toothpaste
• Ivory soap
• Jif peanut butter
• Charmin toilet paper

But sometimes your conscience plays a part in your brand loyalty. I've decided that I've got to start making some personal changes to join the Green movement. One thing I'm going to have to give up - my super comfortable and fluffy Charmin. It makes no sense to have so many trees cut down to make something I use to wipe my rear end.

So I'm going to start using the recycled version.

I guess every little bit helps, right?

*While a registered Republican, current events over the recent years and my conscience have influenced me to vote against party line. Can you blame me?