Brand Loyalty

By Rich Smith, 03-14-2018

Why do we shop where we shop? Why do we love the brands we love? Brand loyalty has been around for a long time, but now we are seeing immediate effects and how quickly the court of public opinion can render a verdict. Social media has given all of us a voice, whether that voice is right or wrong. That's the double-edged sword type of world we live in now. It gives brands the freedom to promote, but opens them up to freelance negativity.

So how does a company's brand survive in this new world? It's actually very simple. Actions speak louder than words. What a company does means so much more than what the company says. Brand managers and marketing executives can prattle on about how awesome their product is, but that's hollow unless it's seen in action. At the core of a company's brand should be their values, the ways they hold dear. Like a precision machine, those values need to exist and operate on every level. Otherwise the machine breaks down. As the company grows, their values sprout purpose. What good is a machine if it operates with no purpose? Purpose gives the machine direction. When strong brand values combine with laser focused purpose, you get a great end product that's loved by the consumers. And if it operates with consistently with values and purpose, you get brand loyalty.

The rise of social media has also brought about a new phenomenon. Brand Shaming. There are some that have no reason to dislike a popular brand, other than that it's popular. Brand shaming exists to try and make the brand loyalists feel bad for their support. After all, it's cool to dislike popular things. (That's sarcasm...of course.) Those that brand shame use misdirection and misinformation to discredit the successful brand. They utilize innuendo and insinuation in an attempt to create doubt about the successful brand. So how does a successful brand fight brand shaming? One word: Integrity. As long as the brand operates with the utmost integrity, it doesn't matter what the branding shaming crowd says. In 2018, the court of public opinion is swift and just. It isn't fooled, and it's smarter than the brand shaming crowd thinks.

Values, purpose and integrity. A brand built on anything less will not stand long. Think about the brands you love. I'd bet they exhibit these qualities. That's by design. That's how brands succeed.