Lovemarks. No, I’m not talking about the possible cause for a rapid increase in turtle neck sales among high school girls. According to Kevin Roberts, author of Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands, making an emotional connection with your consumers, earning their respect and love, will yield brand loyalty.
Emotional connection with consumers= Brand loyalty
Consider the McDonald’s brand. Mom takes child to McDonald’s as a reward for behaving, or just for a dinner alternative (or when mom needs a break from cooking). Child orders a Happy Meal. Child reaches dangerous levels of excitement over a small plastic toy (which will inevitably end up on the floor of mom’s minivan) and jumping into a pool of plastic balls. Child eats french fries, chicken nuggets, and is even allowed to drink a coke (this will come back to haunt mom around bedtime). Child leaves McDonald’s, and anxiously awaits the next opportunity to return. Mom will remember to stop by the pharmacy to get an ample supply of headache medicine before the next McDonald’s trip.
McDonald’s is my lovemark brand. Lovemarking is what produces a lifetime of brand loyalty by consistently giving the consumer a positive experience; making your consumer love your brand. McDonald’s has earned my respect and love. Sometimes I still go to McDonald’s after a good day to reward myself with a Happy Meal. The only difference between my relationship with McDonald’s as a child and my relationship with the brand now is that now I supplement every trip to McDonald’s with an extra three hours on the elliptical.
How do you convert a brand into a lovemark? Roberts suggests that your brand earn respect and love from your consumers through every interaction the brand has with the consumer. This can be done through advertising, or in day to day interactions between the brand and the consumer. Provide excellent customer service, and acknowledge loyal customers. Use myths or icons to make a connection with consumers through advertisements. Consumers use brands; consumers respect, love, and repeatedly purchase lovemarks. Read Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands, by Kevin Roberts for more strategies.
Which brands are your “lovemarks”?
Visit www.lovemarks.com. The site is a social network that allows consumers to recognize their favorite brands. You can create a profile with thumbnails of your favorite brands, and post stories about why you love the brands so much. Check it out and create a profile, then tell your mother. Maybe she will buy you a Happy Meal.
Contributed by Laine Beyerl