Why Are Anchors like iPhones and Beer ?

[GMac]

You get so many who drink XX beer (not to many actual XXXX as it's just nasty ) and won't go near anything else, whether they've tried it or not. Same with iphones and things Mac, most are either 100% for or 100% against.

Anchors seem to be the same thing. We see huge numbers saying 'use a YYY or you're just silly' or often a lot more emotive than 'silly'. Even more so theses days. We have people who'll swear on their mother grave a YYY is the best yet they have no experience with any of the competitors.

Is it simply because they have a beer/phone/anchor that works for them so in their eyes there just can't be anything better or is it a case we are all slowly being conditioned into believing marketing, whether we think we are or not?

Or is there something else I'm missing.

[Pete R]

Peer pressure: people want to be part of the group that uses YYYY.

[simonpickard]

Peer pressure a little.. Branding and marketing a LOT.
Same thing with Smokes, they try and get you hooked as if it's YOUR brand.

Us Humans love to feel a part of something, marketers know this, and once we buy into a Brand we also love to spread the word to others.

If we can get others to buy that $1000 phone it must mean it was worth it for ourselves right?

[Unicorn Dreams]

Could be peer pressure or one upmanship, as I have the greatest and newest one on the market so it has to be the best.

I use a CQR plow because they have always worked for me, rgat is what was on my first boat when I and my grandfather gound her after Hurricane Donna.

My cell phone is probably the oldest Blackberry out there given to me by my sister because of my old phone..

I usually buy what I like, marketing turns me away, except during the SUPER BOWL..

[captain58sailin]

I use what works best for me regardless public opinion or marketing techniques. Having said that, I do tend to stick with what has worked best in the past. While I have tried many different beers, rums & whiskeys, and I have found what best suits my palate, I would be open to trying others if one came along that I had not yet sampled. As far as gear goes, I haven't tried them all, but I will ask a lot of questions of the owners of the gear I have yet to try. I am slow to change out equipment unless what I have is just not working as expected, at that point I will look to alternatives.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Pete R

Peer pressure: people want to be part of the group that uses YYYY.

BAAAAAaaaa

[Dynamo1181]

All three go overboard?
A

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Dynamo1181

All three go overboard?
A

Ho Ho Ho... well done, mate

Jim

[capn_billl]

Probably because all three are very subjective as far as usefullness, and there are so many individual variables it defies quantitative analysis. I've found the less concrete information the stronger the opinions. It is very easy to hold an iron clad opinion on something you are unlikely to be proven wrong on.

[RainDog]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

Probably because all three are very subjective as far as usefullness, and there are so many individual variables it defies quantitative analysis. I've found the less concrete information the stronger the opinions. It is very easy to hold an iron clad opinion on something you are unlikely to be proven wrong on.

+1.

If there is a reasonable and convincing way to measure quality, it prevents quasi-religious feeling from developing. Lacking a rational way to measure quality, we fall back on marketing, superstition, and hearsay.

In the case of anchors, there is no rational way to choose a best anchor, but but we all want the best so we can sleep at night. We need to invent reasons to convince themselves we have the best. The marketers are only too happy to exploit this phenomenon by publishing FUD and seemingly reasonable "anchor tests".

[callmecrazy]

The thing I've noticed about sailors (all people, but sailors in particular) is they'll put a lot of effort into buying something, they spend a lot of money on it, and they will defend that purchase to the death if anyone tries to offer an alternative point of view.

This is true for boats, anchors, and everything in between. I noticed it when I first started shopping for boats and realized there was no such thing as an unbiased opinion amongst sailors. It's impossible to find realistic information because no matter what type of boat/gear a person has, they will recommend the same, or similar, design just to justify their own decision. I guess it makes people feel better about spending all that money... you know, misery loves company If you make the same decisions they did, that validates them and their choices. So people will do/say whatever it takes to either sway, or discredit, an opposing opinion.

Nevermind logically weighing your options, just do what I do and everyone will be happy!

note: this is not 100%, there's always exceptions to the rule, but I've found this consistent enough to call it a rule (and yes, I do the same thing as everyone else...sometimes).

[Factor]

Originally Posted by GMac

You get so many who drink XX beer (not to many actual XXXX as it's just nasty ) and won't go near anything else, whether they've tried it or not. Same with iphones and things Mac, most are either 100% for or 100% against.

Anchors seem to be the same thing. We see huge numbers saying 'use a YYY or you're just silly' or often a lot more emotive than 'silly'. Even more so theses days. We have people who'll swear on their mother grave a YYY is the best yet they have no experience with any of the competitors.

Is it simply because they have a beer/phone/anchor that works for them so in their eyes there just can't be anything better or is it a case we are all slowly being conditioned into believing marketing, whether we think we are or not?

Or is there something else I'm missing.

Of course the obverse is that some people don't just follow what their grandpa did, they undertake research they assess they are open to new ideas, they weigh real life experience an reach a considered conclusion.

I dont give a rats what anyone else uses, as long as they dont tell me I am wrong to choose a multi/Mac/Sarca excel- Rocna - Manson Supreme. And since I have bought my first multi I can say that I have discovered that there are many experts eager to tell me of my wrong.

Like most things in life the most strident people are often the ones who haven't tried or at least considered the alternative, few mono sailors have sailed a range of multis, few IBM computer users have tried a MAc long term and few - very few have actually tried different anchors.

But again I dont care what anyone uses, unless of course they anchor upwind from me with a crap anchor or crap technique.

[capttman]

Different strokes for different folks, different anchors for different bottoms.....

[amytom]

Originally Posted by GMac

You get so many who drink XX beer

Or is there something else I'm missing.

Have you ever tried XX Beer? (Dos Equis) You might find it's quite good.

[tartansail]

Originally Posted by amytom

Have you ever tried XX Beer? (Dos Equis) You might find it's quite good.

It is good, but it couldn't hold a candle to XXX (Tres Equis) when that was in production.