Exploring Brand Loyalty

Time to change the channel on my blog. Enough of my work and cooking stories for now... time to explore some other topics. And since I do have a marketing degree (still sitting in the huge package I received it in almost 10yrs ago ack!) let's talk brand loyalty, a subject I find pretty interesting and everyone can relate to.

When most think of brand loyalty, what comes to mind are tangible products like cars, food, drinks, clothes, etc.  Businessdictionary.com defines it as:

Brand Loyalty: Extent of the faithfulness of consumers to a particular brand, expressed through their repeat purchases, irrespective of the marketing pressure generated by the competing brands.

I know I'm definitely brand loyal. I recently purchased my second Jeep, I've worn nothing but Nike running shoes for the past 15+ years, I'll only watch NBC new stations, I'm on my 4th Burberry handbag, and the list goes on. Why am I so partial to these things, when a competitive product can serve the same purpose?

Hmm... let's think about it. I'm not super hung up on status or flashy names. I consider price, function, and all the other factors when making any purchase. So what made me choose Nike over 10 other brands every time it was time to buy another pair? It's not the celebrity endorsements, that's for sure. I don't care who Nike sponsors and Tiger Woods' extreme foul-ups weren't going to make me choose another brand. As I think of all the wearable, usable items I'm particularly loyal to, it really comes down to function and personal design; finding a product which serves its practical purpose, and also completely connects with me. My Jeep does this. My shoes do this. Once you find a brand who year after year, keeps creating products you like and find yourself buying, that name becomes your go-to every time. You take personal ownership of liking and supporting that brand. You might even rep it for free if given the very impossible far-fetched chance (Feature spot in a Jeep commercial sans paycheck? Call me!)

Keeping consumers loyal to your brand, in the midst of heavy price competition and endless options is the reason companies spend millions on marketing/consumer research. I remember taking the surveys at the mall when I was younger and still living at home. Eager workers with clipboards scouted passing shoppers for someone who fit the demographic. It went something like this:

Person with clipboard: "Hello Miss. Can I ask you a few questions today?"

Me: "OK"

Person with clipboard: "We're conducting a survey on household items. Can we see if you qualify?"

Me: "OK"

Person with clipboard: "Are you over 18? Are you the primary shopper in your household? Do you use a pine-scented cleaning product 2-3x a week?"

Me: "Yes. No. No"

Person with Clipboard: "Hmmm...To qualify we need all answers to be yes. You're over 18... It pays $15 and takes 10 minutes. We can change the other 2 answers to yes, just this once... do you want to participate?"

Me: "OK!"

Shoot, I'm not turning down $15 for lying about using pine cleaner. This is where the research gets a little skewed, but I was still answering honestly to all the questions asked, even if at the end, I wasn't their target market. They would show pictures, asked if the pictured product made me feel a certain way. This is how we base most of our purchases. I just admitted it above. Even product brand I choose serves a function, but I remain brand loyal because of how the product makes me feel.

What brands are you loyal to? Why?

(This would be a legit question if anyone read/interacted/responded to this blog. Alas, it now becomes rhetorical.  Haha...Kinda...Not really...sad face..waaahhh)

The Proof

Leave it to the Catholic college to print the entire 16" x 20" degree in Latin. Sooo, unless I dig out the translation page, I really have no idea what this says. Meh.