Marketeers have been warning that conventional brand loyalty is dead for a while. We have been turning our minds to how to frame the changing brand-consumer relationship. Successful brands can no longer rely on the habit loop, automatic decision-making and consumer apathy to ensure continued sales. The proliferation of choice in most sectors, coupled by a post-pandemic consumer who seeks to reinvent themselves and exercise choice in so many areas of their lives, has led to a customer who generally questions, tests and reconsiders their brand relationships, in some instances at every touchpoint.
Nowadays, the consumer expects or even demands a relationship which makes them feel understood, recognised and appreciated. The rise of the subscription model suggests a consumer tolerance of contractual relationships, but transactional value is no longer enough and successful subscriptions balance pragmatic gains with elements of personalisation and reward. Consumers also tell us they prefer models whereby they can toggle on and toggle off as binding relationships are the antithesis of ‘sticky’ ones. By brands showing their commitment to the relationship via signalling of shared values and an overt desire to forge deeper emotional connections with consumers, they can forge ‘brand commitment’, where the brand feels like the right choice every time and the relationship is symbiotic and mutually beneficial. This, for us, is the new face of loyalty.
Connect with us to learn more about our approach to unlocking brand commitment.
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