Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and Brand Love
“We’re on a mission to become Australia’s most loved everyday brand with lasting consumer relationships.”
Even if the above statement was from someone such as Apple, you may think it a bit over the top. But seeing people line up overnight to be amongst the first to get their hands on the latest Apple smartphone, then it is reasonable to assume there is a core of people who genuinely “love” the brand.
The brand aiming to become “Australia’s most loved everyday brand”, is not Apple (considering how many times a day, on average, people look at their phones, “everyday” sure sums it up). Nor a car, cosmetic or even fashion brand. It is for a Telecom. Considering by far the primary reasons for sticking with their existing Telecom, is it’s a “pain in the arse/too much hassle” to change and they are generally perceived to “all be as bad as each other”, then Brand Love is probably a goal too far off for any of them.
Possibly the “least disliked brand” would be a more realistic and attainable objective .
It was about 20 years ago I first heard of “Brand Love” and brand “Love Marks”. Attributed to Kevin Roberts, head of Saatchi & Saatchi, though it had been rambling around the place before he brought it into the spotlight.
In 2014, The Harvard Business Review published the 8 phases of Brand Love:
Know Yourself
Know Your Type
Meet Memorably
Make It Mutual
Deepen The Connection
Keep Love Alive
Make Up
Or Break Up
I first encountered the term Anthropomorphism in a subject on animal behaviour at university. It meant “the attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to an animal” and was a definite “no”.
Take Brand Love to its logical conclusion and we will end up with “Agony Aunt” (now they are “Influencers” in social media), with people asking:
My favourite brand passed away 6 months ago. Is it too soon to start seeing other brands?
My favourite brand gets jealous so easily. How can I tell them I am only friends with these other brands?
How do I know when I am ready to settle down with just one brand? I can’t help myself when I see an attractive brand.
And Love Marks? Would anyone, with a teenage daughter, believe them if they came home late one Saturday night with a “love mark” on their neck and explained it came from their new Apple iPhone?
After 40 years in the advertising and research industries, cynicism is something that is never far from the surface (prefer to call it experience).
Outside of your family, marriage is by far the closest relationship we will have. On average, 40 to 50% of marriages end in divorce. Some are amicable, but many more are not. My first business partner was engaged 3 times in the 9 years we worked together. He gave one of our young employees some advice on marriage:
“Don’t. Go out, find a women you dislike and give her your house.” I do agree this was over the top in cynicism. He ended a relationship with one fiancée on the basis of her description of Venice. He was considerably older than his fiancée and after a trip to Italy to celebrate their engagement, this age difference hit home. When I asked “Why, this time, was the marriage off?” He replied, “I could never marry anyone who described Venice as neat!”. (I am not joking, a true story).
So this brings us back to brands and how consumers feel and react to them. Covid has resulted in many brands having to think laterally, just to survive. Some have been very successful because they were creative in their approach to the pandemic in their product offerings. Online offerings sprung up, many made special concessions for first responders, “holidays” were offered by banks on loans, alcohol brands produced hand sanitiser – the list is extensive.
It would be nice to believe all of these “initiatives” were driven by altruism, but the reality is the businesses behind these brands/products saw advantage. The same rationale behind the fact that during times of war is when innovation is at its greatest. Why? Because it has to be to survive.
Rather than Love, Trust is far more realistically attainable and is an attribute consumers seek and value in all brands and products.
The world has been through, or more accurately still going through, what is a 1 in a 100- year event. We have, and still are, experiencing societal changes that would have been unimaginable 2 years ago.
When the world is going to hell in a hand cart, do you look to people and brands you love, or you trust?
Through all of the changes brought on by the “digital revolution” and the Covid pandemic, there is one thing that has not changed – the bedrock importance of trust. (Where love can be very fickle).
