Building brand loyalty

Brand loyalty is one of those hard nuts to crack. But when you do, people advocate vociferously for you. It’s the promised nirvana — one where customers fight your fights. Brand advocates come in two shapes. One stickier than the other. One conscious, and deliberate, the other falls into the pit of confirmation bias.

Brands that fall into the confirmation bias worldview don’t withstand the test of time. The ones that hone product and brand, are eternal.

Confirmation bias brand: “Hey, buy this car, because I use it and it has done well.”

This proposition of brand fails two tests:

1. The discerning customer sees through the bias

2. Customers understand brand ‘satsifcing’ — a heuristic circumstance where you advocate for a product because you can’t determine an optimal solution.

The ideal brand advocate: “Hey, buy this car, because it’s spacious, has well thought-out design, strong interiors”

These brand advocates do your bidding over time. It’s why we want to pay a premium over others. It’s why we sometimes even abrogate rational choices to the whims of a brand. It’s why we pay a premium for a tshirt, moisturiser, or… an airline 😉