When customers appreciate the brand with their purchase and with their advocacy, also forgive the brand its mistakes, on occasion, and remain loyal patrons over time – even when other viable choices are clearly available in the category, one can only consider it love. Brand love. Determining why customers should love the brand lies at the very core of ‘the art and science of branding’.
And that’s just as true for a new brand making its entry into a crowded market or a legacy brand whose appeal must be continuously renewed and reiterated. Regardless of the situation and context, the ingredients of nurturing brand love are not unlike the ingredients of nurturing respect and love in any relationship.
It’s about the significant other. When you come to think of it, the people that we most like being with are the people who make us like ourselves better. They show us the reasons why we are worthy and deserving. They help us imagine what we could be, how much we can become. They don’t demand that we change but inspire us to want to make better choices. We love them for it. It’s for the same reasons that we love the brands we love. We – the customers – are the heroes of their narratives.
Their compelling stories show us the best version of ourselves. Some brands are good at winning our love this way, like Nike with their Nike Run Club app that brings together a supportive group to encourage us along our fitness journey. Or Titan Raga that celebrates women – their primary audience – with so many thoughtful narratives that inspire not just women to shatter barriers but invites men too to embrace a progressive outlook when it comes to matters of gender equity.
You’ve got to keep it consistent. We don’t grow to love someone because they keep us great company one evening, are kind to us on occasion, or pleasantly surprise us some time. It’s the significant and insignificant things they do consistently, and predictably through cloudy and sunny days, that wins us over. Brands like McDonalds, for example, deeply understand this. Be it San Francisco, Delhi, Tokyo or Moscow, if it’s a McDonalds you stop by, you can count on the same familiar quality, same-tasting, same modestly priced food served with signature convenience. Come rain, come shine. What’s not to love about the golden arches!
Give them reason to stay committed. In the same way that love fades when the people involved stop showing that they care for each other, love can fade for brands disconnected from their customers too. Many times, brands use loyalty programs – often a frequency-of-purchase-based program to lock-in customers to stay committed. But loyalty or commitment is rarely engendered if the intrinsic value of the purchase is not meaningful to the customer. Especially in times of restrained spending.
Personalizing what’s on offer, making the purchase experience seamless and convenient, staying in touch with regular communication and offering value throughout the customer journey goes a long way. We can’t help but think of Apple, can we? With products known for their stunning design, stellar performance, and impeccable after-sales service, delivered by truly empowered Apple Store employees, being an Apple customer makes one feel part of a super-privileged club! When one’s investment is so richly rewarded, staying committed is not a hard decision.
In these times of data-driven performance marketing, some marketers might be tempted to pooh-pooh the notion of brand love. And yet, these same marketers will vouch for the value of using rational means to persuade customers to develop an emotionally driven, compelling disposition to the brand in one’s charge. Well, that’s why they say, in the end love always wins. Even, brand love.
Sumit Virmani is the global chief marketing officer at Infosys. He writes a fortnightly column series ‘Brand Breakthroughs’ on Storyboard18.
Read More: Brand Breakthroughs: Infosys global CMO Sumit Virmani on ‘The Anatomy of Brand Trust’