Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.
You know, the day where we all get overcharged for a meal, flowers etc… But hey, let’s believe that yes, one way or another, love IS all around on the day. We do perhaps appreciate more our loved ones and, most importantly, let them know of our appreciation.
The “most romantic day of the year” led me to think about brands and how we fall in love with them. You know the feeling, don’t you? You go to the supermarket, you have a million of choices of cereal but you pick, yes, that one you always pick.
So, what makes us love a brand so much that we won’t consider dumping it for another one?
They make it easy for you
A good brand will second guess you. They will improve something for you, they will make the product or service better, just when you were thinking ‘why don’t they…?’ And bam, it’s done and you see it in the shop. You then ask: ‘How did that happen? That’s amazing!’ The same way your partner will offer you a cup of tea just when you were getting thirsty. It’s like they can read your mind… Got it? My brand example of this is 3M hooks (I’m obsessed with them). Every time I go to the shop there is a new type! I don’t even ave anything left to hang anymore but I just love how they keep creating new ones for the most different places in the home.
They make you feel special
Do you know that feeling when you get an unexpected bunch of flowers from your loved one, or a ticket for a gig that you didn’t even know was on but your partner knows you’d like to go to? You just love them all the more for it, don’t you? The feeling that a brand cares about their users can make its followers more and more loyal too. The thought of ‘they look after me’ can work wonders, and be it an email on their birthday or a freebie, a brand has many ways to surprise its consumers. Think O2’s Priority scheme or Nutella’s ‘name your jar’ campaign. Feeling the love?
They surprise you
A good brand never stops. There’s always more to discover, more to offer, more to surprise the customer with. If a brand is perceived to be stagnant, consumers lose interest. They want to feel that their loyalty is rewarded by an innovative, creative and uplifting brand. Good brands are irrepressible, they are always improving. Think about the brands that do nice things, like helping charity, or creating new and easier to use packaging, like the chocolate brands that have a sealing sticker in case you don’t want to finish your whole bag of Maltesers (yeah, I’ve never understood that either). Those details leave you pleasantly surprised. A bit like your partner being his/her super nice self by saying “I’ll look after the kids, you lie in” or ‘’Come on, we’re off to Paris’. Oh yeah…
They are reliable
A product or service will always need improving. The offer needs to be the best it can be for your audience to keep falling in love time and time again. You need to have the trust that the product or service won’t let people down, ever! That reliability creates loyalty. Think ringing your partner when your tyre is flat, or asking your wife to choose your clothes.
They ask what you think
Great brands talk to customers. They want to know all that is going on in their customer’s minds. Rightly so, since this is the only way they can make the brand work for them. A brand that asks and, most importantly, listens, is half way there on their quest to gain loyalty. Compare this to your partner asking you: ‘What’s wrong, love?’ You really feel like you matter, don’t you? With a brand or a partner, it is worth pursuing those all important answers.
They let the love evolve
Love is always changing. We are always changing. The beauty of a good relationship is to try and grow together, with your partner, and not in opposite directions. With a brand, it’s important that you stay in tune with your customers, so that you can offer them what they really need, which in turn will always keep your brand top of mind. If you manage to re-invent yourself so that you’re improving constantly, I can guarantee there’ll be no cheating and many more Valentine’s Days to celebrate.
Marilia Spindler is an Account Manager and creative thinker at Happy Creative, a strategic marketing and branding agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk.
