For well over a half century, Gallup has been listening to
consumers talk about brands — and about the special brands
with which they've formed enduring emotional connections. And, in
these millions of consumer interviews, we've also heard about
initial relationships that turned sour.
What we've learned from digging into our consumer conversations
will surprise some company managers, while reinforcing what others
may have believed but haven't been able to prove. . . . The
following conclusions summarize what we've learned:
- Brand marriages aren't created overnight, regardless of how
much money is spent on marketing programs or high-profile Super
Bowl ads. True brand relationships aren't built in a day --
even in the age of the Internet.
- There's a crucial difference between a customer and an
engaged customer. Gaining customers should never be a
company's objective; building customer engagement should be.
- Customer satisfaction programs haven't increased the numbers of
healthy brand marriages; neither have most loyalty programs. This
isn't because companies won't spend the money on these programs, or
that they aren't serious about them. Rather, it's because programs
like these have either missed or ignored what really drives the
relationship. Besides, loyalty programs are readily duplicated by
competitors, so they simply increase the cost of doing business
while failing to address what it takes to make a brand
marriage.
- What it takes to initially attract a first-time buyer or user
is often quite different from what it takes to turn that prospect
into a fully engaged customer. Dating is different from marriage.
But both involve essential emotional connections that must be
understood if they're ever going to be managed.
-
- Activating a new brand relationship (a first date) requires
conveying a brand promise that is not just credible and compelling,
but also establishes a personal connection with the potential
customer. If the goal is an enduring brand marriage and not just a
one-time fling, the brand has to begin building a platform for
passion.
- Products alone can't support a passionate brand relationship,
nor will low prices, great advertising, stunning packaging, or a
superb location. They must all work together, since it is the total
brand experience, and not just one isolated element, that
determines the health of a brand marriage.
- Keeping customers (a brand marriage) involves adding meaningful
depth to the bond that initially connects the consumer to the
brand. Retaining customers goes beyond merely making a
promise -- it requires the performance of a total brand
experience. For a healthy brand marriage, the company's brand
promise must be kept on every subsequent date and at every brand
touchpoint.
- In most cases, it's not enough that consumers trust a brand.
That's because they may trust many brands -- but somehow, the
emotional connection goes no deeper than that. Trust is the
essential foundation, and marriages won't last without it. For a
lasting relationship, though, there must be brand passion.
- Most companies have strong brand relationships with only a
small minority of their customers. Even great brands typically have
healthy relationships with only about half of their
customers -- and they probably don't even know which ones they
are.
- Companies in every industry have large numbers of customers
with whom they have absolutely no relationship. Customer
relationship management (CRM) programs and marketing promotions
aren't shrinking the numbers of disaffected and disconnected
customers. In many cases, they're actually creating more of them.
They're not building brand marriages; they're creating climates for
divorce.
- Emotions aren't merely warm and fuzzy concepts suitable mainly
for greeting-card poetry and Hollywood scripts. Emotions are both
powerful and profitable. Whether a company is marketing hamburgers
or microprocessors, there's a demonstrable financial return that
results from emotionally engaging customers -- and there's a
substantial cost that results from disengaging them.
- Every time a customer comes in contact with a company --
with its products, stores, people, or ads, or with the stories that
appear in the newspaper -- the brand relationship can be
enhanced. Or it can be diminished. Brand marriages aren't static;
they continue to evolve.
- Brand relationship management isn't just a marketing challenge,
nor is it a challenge that can be met solely through operational,
product-development, or information technology enhancements.
Successful marriage management can be achieved only by company-wide
commitment and aligned, integrated efforts.
- Top-down corporate solutions to brand marriage management may
offer great efficiencies -- but they won't work. Relationship
management begins not in the boardroom but at the individual
customer interface.
Gallup's research has revealed that customer satisfaction isn't
nearly enough to ensure an ongoing brand relationship. We've also
learned that "loyalty" isn't enough and that "good" performance is
woefully inadequate. That poses a huge problem. As Jim Collins has
pointed out in his book Good to Great, too many companies
become satisfied with "good" -- and, he writes, "Good is the
enemy of great." Marriages require more. Loving involves a whole
lot more than liking.