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Author Archives: Sarah Schermer
How to Turn Brand Mercenaries into Brand Loyalists
Emotionally Branded
Buying a product today is nothing like it was in the past. Your favorite brand of ice cream now has so many flavors you haven’t tried them all, your favorite brand of clothing is made in some country you’ve probably never been to, and your favorite digital gadget has to be updated at least once every couple months or years. Nothing seems to work like it used to…so how are we expected to stay loyal to one brand these days? Why would we stay loyal? Aren’t we just mercenaries that maintain loyalty to one brand because they have something “new,” “exciting,” “cheap,” or “green” about them until some other brand comes along, we may have never hear of that’s offering something newer, more exciting, cheaper, and promises that they recycle ALL of their waste.
How to Gain and Maintain Brand Loyalty
To keep a customer loyal to your brand, you really have to know them. Know why they’re loyal in the first place, and then always deliver that perception to them at the time that is best for them. Difficult, right? Impossible, no. Gobe in his article, “Emotional Branding: Fuel for Success in the 21st Century” hits on the idea time and again that offering an experience, an emotional reason to be attached, and caring for the customer makes them brand loyal. Companies allow their “brands to carry on a personal dialogue with consumers on the issues which are most meaningful to them. The new model of brands will be one with them connecting with innovative products that are culturally relevant, socially sensitive, and have presence at all points of contact in people’s lives” (23).
I spend most of my research on East Asian countries Japan, China and South Korea. This relevant article talks about how Budweiser has been getting smarter about their interactions with China, the worlds’ largest beer market, and trying to offer them an experience to get them excited about their product.
One analyst noted that with the “Celebrate Chinese New Year Around the World” campaign, Budweiser has smartly tapped into a recent trend among Chinese consumers choosing to spend on experiences.”Rather than going out and buying products, they’re spending money on doing things, such as travel,” said Ben Cavender, associate principal at the China Market Research Group in Shanghai. “Marketing around that does a good job of bolstering the brand and supporting the brand.”
Ties: Non-Profits & Social Causes and Brand Loyalty
Non-profit organizations working towards solving social issues create extremely brand loyal activists and consumers. The heart of their brand is something that touches their heart which is why they spend time and money on it, motivated by the cause to support the brand. Corporate businesses could really learn a thing or two from non-profits supporting social causes. However, not just because a company is non-profit and says it’s working towards aiding social reform does brand loyalty fall from the sky. Think of the recent debacle with Lance Armstrong admitting to doping. How will his non-profit Livestrong organization ride this out?
I talked to three women about how they interact with their favorite NPOs…
Ana, senior at University of Minnesota
She does the Christmas Angel program every year through the Salvation Army. She said it makes her sad to think that a family can’t provide for their kids in the same way her parents did due to hard times, so it’s nice to be the Santa for those kids, but also help the parents share in the joy of seeing their kids happy. I do it through Salvation Army because they offer this program. I’d like to think they’re trust worthy because they are reputable. The Salvation Army is everywhere, I hear about them a lot without major complaints.
Holly, Elon University graduate
She supports the Jimmy V Foundation that raises money for cancer cure research. She’s motivated by them because she think Jimmy V (Jim Valdando) was such an inspirational person and she believes cancer research is important. She trust the foundation because of Jimmy V, she said she could have picked any cancer foundation but chose his, however, after the Lance Armstrong incidents, she’s a little bit more wary of where her money is going and the reliability of NPOs.
Mariah, Elon University graduate
She likes Women for Women International, a NPO that helps create jobs for women in third world countries. She knows that the organization uses a lot of its donations to pay for the staff than actually using it for charity which she doesn’t condone, but the idea of the NPO is why she likes it.
Holly, Elon University graduate
She supports the Jimmy V Foundation that raises money for cancer cure research. She’s motivated by them because she think Jimmy V (Jim Valdando) was such an inspirational person and she believes cancer research is important. She trust the foundation because of Jimmy V, she said she could have picked any cancer foundation but chose his, however, after the Lance Armstrong incidents, she’s a little bit more wary of where her money is going and the reliability of NPOs.
Mariah, Elon University graduate
She likes Women for Women International, a NPO that helps create jobs for women in third world countries. She knows that the organization uses a lot of its donations to pay for the staff than actually using it for charity which she doesn’t condone, but the idea of the NPO is why she likes it.
Heart of the Brand
After talking to these women and seeing how different their favorite organizations were from each other, it is important to recognize how each individual customer is different and therefore important to recognize the customization of your interaction with each. At the core of a powerful brand, one that touches the customers heart and brings them back time and again, is the emotional attachment. Get your customer emotionally attached to your brand, and you’ve won their hearts and hopefully got a few dollars in your bank.
Gotta Catch ‘Em All…Con-Su-Mers!
Let’s Just Be Friends!In the age of the 4 Ps of marketing, communication was not necessarily a two-way street. Shultz introduced us to a new idea of communication that definitely set ablaze the old ways and had companies jumping aboard the 5 Rs of IMC … Continue Reading