Getting ready to purchase new appliances and confused about where to begin? How about settling on a brand first? This can be an easy way to narrow the field and to make sure that you get a product that suites your lifestyle and your budget.

First let's consider what a brand really is and what it means. Unfortunately, the word brand has different meanings to different people and in different circumstances. For example, we often associate a brand with its logo. We also sometimes confuse a brand with its generic equivalent. We think of the word BandAid as the same as a bandage, even though it is only one brand of bandage, or we ask for a Kleenex instead of a tissue. Basically, a brand tells the unique story of a product or company. It defines the product or company. Marketers like to say that a brand is the company or organization's specific “promise”.

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How does that help us in buying appliances? When you select the appliances for your home, you are looking for a set of attributes that most fit your needs that include product features, quality, price, warranty, etc. Each brand will represent a collection of those attributes.

Appliance manufacturers tend to position themselves across a spectrum of these attributes and that makes it much easier for customers to narrow their section. For example, if we were looking at refrigerators strictly for price you would find the Chinese brand Haier at one end of the price spectrum and the luxury SubZero brand at the other end of the spectrum. However, nearly all customers select their brands on multiple attributes.

A few of the really large appliance manufacturers build a variety of brands to suit different customer needs. For example, Whirlpool Corporation's US brands include Amana, Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, and Jenn-Air. In General Electric you'll find Hotpoint, GE, GE Profile, GE Cafe, and GE Monogram. In order these brands would be positioned as value brands (Amana and Hotpoint), core mass brands (Whirlpool and GE), premium mass brands (Maytag and GE Profile) premium brands (KitchenAId and GE Cafe), and luxury brands (Jenn-Air and GE Monogram).

Supppose that Joe and Mary, a newly married couple just starting out have purchased a condo and need to replace the appliances kitchen. The have a tight budget and the small kitchen will only accomodate a small refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, and microhood. Their brand selection will be limited to a few brands that fall into the category of “value” brands. George and Karen live in an upscale country club community and need have hired a Certified Kitchen Designer to help with their kitchen remodel. Karen is a gourmet cook and wants a professional style kitchen with a dual fuel range and a built-in refrigerator. Their brand selection will be in the premium or luxury group of brands, not the mass brands.

So you can see that you'll easily begin to hone in on two or three brands that fit your needs when you begin your search. The best place to start is at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center. Because they carry such a wide variety of brands, they're sure to have what you need and they always have great prices.

Call or visit the professionals at Universal Appliance and KItchen Center today:

Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center
12025 Ventura Blvd. Ste B-105
Studio City, CA 91604
PH 877 696-2987
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