Brands we're stuck on vs. brands we're stuck with ~ Brand Mix

Monday, June 13, 2011

Brands we're stuck on vs. brands we're stuck with

Photo by Stefan Gara on Flickr
There are some brands we are stuck on, others we're stuck with. Brands we're stuck on are those where we've developed a relationship out of our own free will (Apple, Starbucks, Zappos). Brands we're stuck with are those where we've become enslaved through contracts (phone carriers, cable companies), switching costs (banks, software) or incentives (airlines via their loyalty programs). Consumers may be loyal to both types of brands if loyalty is simply measured in terms of repeat business but their feelings about the two types brands is very different.

For brands we're stuck on, the social media world is their oyster--social media presents an opportunity for them to tap into the wells of existing consumer passion and spread the love around. If you ask passionate consumers for their help, they will give it and become even more engaged as a result.

For brands we're stuck with, social media is a troubling and inhospitable environment. If you hold your consumers captive, you can hardly expect them to be that friendly. Social media gives them an opportunity to vent. The marketing activities of brands we're stuck with should be more about pacification—making sure that the prisoners don’t get so restless that they try and escape. Or wall-building—further strengthening the contracts, switching costs or incentives that keep them under lock and key.

Reference: Post inspired by reading some of the work on branded relationships by Susan Fournier from Boston University

2 comments:

markdisomma said...

Very much enjoyed your post. As I noted in my own post by way of reaction: Brands we're stuck on captivate us; brands we're stuck with hold us captive - and while loyalty may look much the same in the numbers (for a time at least), it feels very, very different on the ground. More of my post here: http://markdisomma.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/two-very-different-types-of-stickiness/

denise lee yohn said...

great way to put it, martin! totally agree there's a big difference between "active loyalty" and "captive loyalty" -- denise lee yohn

 
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