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How to be Successful - I Propose Brand Loyalty

By: Beth Doriani | 10/04/2011

Loyalty is defined as faithfulness to _____ (fill-in-the-blank). It typically belongs to a person, country, group or cause although the list can expand. Plain and simple, businesses want to be the object of loyalty. Congratulations, Coke and Apple, you did it!

However easy it may be to define loyalty (hint: not that easy), it's much less easy to attain. And depending on the businesses, there are different methods to attract and retain customers to your brand. Some brands attract consumers with incentives - the classic buy-one-get-one-free plot. Others create barriers to exit (i.e. two-year contracts). And still others tap deeper into consumer psychiatry to create loyalty based on trust and shared values.

Take this hypothetical example: A boy and girl like each other (and I'm talking "like, like"), but they live very far away from each other. One day, they decide they've had enough-they want to be in the same city. What's more, they want to be married. So, this boy packs all his things into four suitcases and two carry-on bags. He invites the girl to help him move across the country. They look at flights; they decide to buy tickets on Southwest Airlines - after all, its two free checked bags. But (this is where it gets interesting) he flew to meet her instead of picking her up at the airport as planned. And, as her final connecting flight was about to take off, he appeared on the plane and asked her to marry him. Southwest provided the champagne.

Well, as you may have guessed, this isn't a hypothetical example, this was my weekend! And I said yes! (I can prove it because I have the ring.) The ring shows my loyalty to my fiancé.  But now, I'm also proclaiming my loyalty to Southwest.  The airline went above and beyond to make this occasion not only possible, but special. Take note other brands: Southwest's lethal combination of great customer service, competitive prices and an overall quality "product" (or service) made us loyal customers for life - provided we stay within the continental U.S.

Lessons learned. Brands that want to develop more than just surface-level loyalty in consumers need to rethink their strategies. First, create a win-win experience for your customers.  Focus on creating a mutual benefit, where the customer and brand share a stake in success.  Second, maximize aspects other than economic return. If you understand what your customers value, you can create a package that transcends price.

PC v. Mac? Pepsi v. Coke? Cheerios v. Wheaties?

I've told you mine; now tell us your stories. What brand captures your loyalty (and why)? Do you always choose one brand above all others? Or, have you recently converted?

Posted in Brand Positioning