Posted on : 2023-12-22 03:18:46
Article : Good evening Friday Management TASK 273- Think of emotional loyalty as loyalty without reason, it’s that way brands bring themselves alive for customers.
All brands strive for loyalty but some manage to go above and beyond, building something that transcends favorability and borders on love. Being more than just front of mind and forming a stronger emotional connection with consumers is the new opportunity in loyalty. And while not all companies will reach the dizzy heights of fans queuing outside the Apple or Nike store, this should not stop brands trying to achieve their own kind of emotional loyalty. “ think of emotional loyalty as loyalty without reason, it’s that way brands bring themselves alive for customers,” .
Traditional loyalty is normally focused on keeping customers coming back through discount codes, vouchers and early access to launches and so on. A lot of the time it might just be where a brand fits in with a basic need, such as being the nearest or cheapest petrol station. This concept of emotional loyalty is hard to pin down, but it is the kind of brand affinity characterised by people truly feeling a human connection to a brand. It is not only desirable because it increases sales, it also reduces churn. Whereas a poor experience, such as a late delivery, might be the end of a relationship with some brands, those which have an emotional bond with consumers will generally be forgiven and given a chance to put it right.
It is hard to be too prescriptive when it comes to building and maintaining a long-term emotional connection, as opposed to looking for an immediate sales lift from a discount code. It centres on, wherever possible, providing elevated customer service and experiences that show customers they are truly valued. Sports clubs, bands and entertainment venues are very good at this. You often see superfans can get money-cannot-buy experiences where they get to meet their idols and go behind the scenes. A lot of brands will use sponsorships with clubs and performing artists to do the same.”
While not all brands can offer such behind-the-scenes experiences, they can double down on ensuring they extol the core values shared deeply by consumers. Through picking a cause and placing it at the center of their strategy and marketing communications, a company can show customers they are truly seen and understood by an organization that feels the same way. The outdoor apparel brands are really good at this. They know they stand for active exploration and protecting the environment.
Companies like Timberland and Patagonia, to name just two, build that emotional connection with their customers by showing how much they care about sustainability too. It doesn’t have to be an outdoors company, though, any brand can put sustainability at the heart of what it does to build that deep relationship with consumers who become their fans. It could equally be achieved through the authenticity a brand derives from the provenance of what it sells. This is evident in food and drink, and craft manufacturing companies, who want to show the skills and passion that go into a final product – whether that be looking after the ‘terroir’ of a wine-growing region, or hand-stitching clothes and accessories in the same way craftspeople have for decades or centuries.
Brands need to be thinking how they can empower their people to surprise and delight customers through customer service that goes beyond what people might be expecting. One example that stands out is a pet food company which covered the cost of a large delivery of food after someone called in to say their beloved dog had died. They not only covered the cost, so the food could be given to a pet charity, they also sent the owner a bunch of flowers. The owner tweeted their experience, getting over 600,000 likes, and the brand got a lot of very positive feedback. 421 There are many ways companies can similarly help people out and gain that emotional connection.
Brands with loyalty programs will need the right technology to manage that relationship with each customer, with a rules-based engine running rewards. To spin this up into driving loyalty without reason, they will need to collect data from major touchpoints and look at loyalty more holistically. They need to be able to take that data and trigger behaviorally driven messaging at those critical moments in a consumer’s relationship with a brand, where they fall in love with it or decide they have had enough and go elsewhere. Getting this right has the benefit of making a brand irreplaceable in a fan’s life, boosting revenue from purchases and making it more likely they will forgive your missteps rather than churn to a rival.
You too might have experienced customer loyalty as a customer for any brand or as a manager made a marketing strategy for any of your brands. Share you experience on our column or mail it to our mail id. Our Monday management solution for this TASK 273 with brand examples on loyalty will be posted on 25th Dec Monday Dec 2023.
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