A few days ago, I came across a report about the Sun Valley Conference.
The author didn't focus on what the business tycoons talked about, but rather observed a detail - many people weren't wearing traditional luxury watches on their wrists, but rather Apple sports watches.
This scene made me smile knowingly.
Because a few years ago, I also longed to own an Omega watch.
But now, it has quietly lain in the drawer.
Every day, it is Apple Watch that accompanies me during my morning runs, records heart rate, sleep and exercise data，because it was creating value for me every day.
As I grow older, I have noticed that my consumption habits are also quietly changing.
Previously, I liked to buy things that "look better".
Now, I am more willing to choose things that "really help with life".
The brand doesn't just save us money.
A few days ago, I was planning to buy a pack of printing paper.
Thinking that the printing paper was pretty much the same, I just bought a cheap one at random.
But when I received the goods, I realized that the paper had a dark color and the whiteness was far from satisfactory. It looked like it had lost several levels of brightness.
Another time, I bought nuts.
I usually buy the familiar brands and thought I'd try a different one occasionally.
The prices were similar and the pictures were almost the same.
But when I actually received them, I found that both the taste and quality were significantly different.
There are many similar things like yoga mats, headphones, data cables...
The products on e-commerce platforms are numerous and each picture is beautifully shot, and every description is written splendidly.
But after actually buying them, I realized where the differences lie.
Previously, I always thought:
The brand means more expensive.
Later, I gradually discovered:
The brand truly represents certainty.
What we truly purchase is "no need to compare anymore".
Apple phones, Macs, AirPods, Apple Watches...
Over the years, I have almost always used the Apple ecosystem.
Not because there are no other brands.
But because I no longer need to relearn.
No need to constantly compare.
No worries about compatibility.
No worries about quality.
When needed, just make the purchase.
One of my classmates did the same when buying an electric vehicle. She said:
"I decided to go with Tesla."
Perhaps it wasn't because it was definitely the best product on the market.
But rather because she believed that this brand had undergone long-term market validation.
Suddenly, I realized:
The greatest value of a brand is not to make consumers spend more money, but to help them save time, attention and decision-making costs.
What is truly expensive is your attention.
In the past, when shopping, I liked to spend several hours comparing different options.
I hoped to save a few hundred dollars.
Later, I discovered that what is often more costly is not the product itself.
But rather, in order to save a few hundred dollars, I wasted several hours constantly screening, comparing, and returning items.
Time is more valuable than the product.
Attention is more valuable than discounts.
As we grow older, we need to make more and more decisions every day.
Work, investment, family, health...
If we spend a lot of time researching even things like printer paper, yoga mats, and headphones, then the truly important matters will lack the energy to be thought about.
Later, I increasingly understood why many entrepreneurs have been wearing similar clothes for decades.
Why many successful people have been using the same brand for a long time.
It's not laziness.
But they are actively reducing those decisions that have no value，They are leaving the limited energy to the truly important matters.
After entering the stock market, I finally understood brands.
What truly made me re-recognize brands was not shopping.
It was investing.
After entering the stock market, I studied listed companies every day.
Gradually, I discovered:
Those enterprises that can survive for decades and continuously create value almost all have one common feature - they have strong brands.
Consumers see the brand.
Investors see the moat (buffer).
Business operators see the reputation.
In fact, they are all referring to the same thing.
A brand is not just a logo.
It means that consumers are willing to choose you again and again.
It means that the enterprise has higher pricing power.
It means a higher repeat purchase rate.
It means more stable profits.
And it also means that it has a higher chance of surviving economic cycles.
This is why Buffett has long favored consumer brands.
Because truly excellent brands are not created by advertisements.
They are accumulated trust over decades through continuous fulfillment of promises.
Originally, shopping and investing are essentially doing the same thing.
Previously, I thought shopping was just about consumption.
Investing was just about investment.
Later, I realized that they are actually doing the same thing.
Searching for those outstanding ones that have been proven over time.
Buying a mobile phone like this.
Buying a computer like this.
Choosing a classic book like this.
Selecting a listed company like this.
The truly outstanding things all have a common feature.
They do not suddenly emerge.
Instead, they gradually become the default choice in people's minds after being selected and verified countless times.
Time is the harshest selector in the world.
In the past, I always sought the option that was "newer, cheaper and more special".
Now, I increasingly believe in the excellence that has been proven over time.
Because I understand:
Traffic can be bought.
Advertisements can be bought.
Popularity can be bought.
But trust cannot be bought.
A brand is not just an advertising slogan.
It carries the recognition of countless consumers after each time they are satisfied.
Shopping is like this.
Investing is like this.
Life is like this.
Later, I came to believe more and more that instead of constantly chasing new things, it's better to follow the excellent ones.
Because time never favors any brand.
It only leaves the truly excellent brands.
And what we should really follow is never the hotspots, but those excellent ones that have passed the test of time.
---Extended Reading and Resources
👉My "Apple" Journey of 15 Years: A Story of Trust and Happiness
👉 I'm becoming less attached to stop-loss; what truly needs correction is my trading principles.
👉 True compound interest doesn't only happen in the stock market.
👉Compound Interest Thinking: The Underestimated Fundamental Logic of Wealth and Growth
[A curated list of tools and books that have genuinely helped me on my journey. If you find them useful, they might help you too.]
[My reading list] & [My everyday toolkit]