If brands have to do with relationships, why don’t you develop a strong brand marriage?
I am not suggesting you really walk lower the aisle together with your customers. But maybe it is now time to check out brand relationships in different ways?
Everyone knows the best brands make strong emotional connections using their customers. Recent studies suggest, however, the best brands don’t hold on there. Rather, they leverage individuals emotional connections to this kind of extent their customers feel “married” towards the brand.
Generally, customers arrived at strong emotional connections having a brand in 2 ways. First, they personify the merchandise (or the organization) so they link by using it much like they’d having a real person. They often notice a full-range of feelings once they communicate with the company, and from time to time even discuss the brand like they’d a great friend. Apple Mac users fall under this group.
Second, customers can end up part of an organization that shares a typical bond round the brand. Harley and BMW motorcycle customers fall under this group, just like the consumer categories of many software companies.
For many technologists and scientists, however, this emotional type of branding is simply too warm and fuzzy, particularly with items that mostly satisfy functional needs. Most technology companies think it is tough to methodically and systematically build emotional engagements. Additionally they think it is challenging, otherwise impossible, to determine and monitor these emotional connections once they occur.
Consequently, when attempting to construct a powerful brand marriage, many technology information mill left standing around the altar.
Engaged Customers
Because of some groundbreaking work conducted through the Gallup Organization round the subject of brand name engagement, brand bachelorhood may soon be a factor of history.
Within their insightful book, Married towards the Brand, Gallup draws on worldwide development and research efforts completed between 2000 and 2004 to define the emotional attachment essential to bond a person to some brand. More essential, they illustrate the fundamental concepts involved with allowing the ultimate brand relationship — desire for the company — and moving customers enough where they think that not one other brand is going to do.
Fortunately for technology companies, the study does not stop with luxury retail brands like BMW cars, Armani suits, or Louis Vitton handbags. Additionally, it includes individuals hard to brand relationships between IT managers as well as their software providers or between physicians and pharmaceutical firms.
Highlights in the research include:
*You will find crucial variations from a customer as well as an engaged customer. Don’t accept just gaining a person. Rather, shoot for customer engagement.