Lifestyle Brands and Brand Loyalty: Brands that Save Lives

A common question asked by our clients is "how do I get my customers to feel a greater sense of attachment or loyalty to our brand?"  The truth is, there is no surefire way that works for every audience and every brand, but for some brands, the proper positioning can really get things moving.

Recently my friend's father was in a car accident.  Thankfully he is okay, but the car, a Mustang, was totaled.  It just so happens that my friend himself had also been in an accident in the same vehicle years before and walked out fine as well.  When I spoke to him about it he said that he would only buy Mustangs for the rest of his life.  That car had saved their lives twice and he trusted the brand above any other.  He kept the hood ornament off the vehicle as a memento and a display of the brand he will forever be loyal to.  This mirrors a recent commercial by Subaru, which features a man retrieving the shifter knob from his totaled vehicle that saved his life as well.  This scenario is a powerful example of how a brand can earn loyalty with its audience and although the bond in this story occurred naturally, without the brand's involvement, if we dissect what happened we can actually build a formula for increasing brand loyalty.

Formula: Lifestyle Branding

First, cars are one of the most well known types of lifestyle brands.  Outside of price and fuel efficiency, the reason we pick a certain brand of vehicle usually pertains to its representation of the buyer's lifestyle or personality.  A parent of three buys a large van or SUV because it sells safety and allows the buyer to transport the whole family.  The successful entrepreneur buys a luxury vehicle to display his wealth and status.  The young kid or middle aged man buys the muscle car to represent masculinity and power.  Car brands identify these lifestyles and decision choices and market products around them.  Volvo has consistently marketed itself as the brand for safety.  Outside the auto industry, Apple is well known for its lifestyle marketing strategy.  Apple represents creativity and self-expression and owns a diehard fanbase of loyal users who self-identify with the brand.

Formula: Lifestyle Branding + Emotional Marketing

Second, the increase in loyalty occurred as a result of an emotional experience.  Emotional marketing is no secret.  Brands have been using it for decades.  The "Kodak Moments" campaign epitomizes emotional marketing.  Kodak knows that families cherish their memories and played off that emotion to entice buyers to trust their products if they want their memories to last a lifetime.  The semi-secret is that the emotion doesn't always have to be sad.  When Kodak partnered with Disney, Kodak Moments focused on fun and excitement while still appealing to love, togetherness and family.  MasterCard's "Priceless" campaign is another great example.  In the beginning, the ads focused on heartfelt emotions to instill the idea of priceless moments. As time progressed, however, MasterCard began to make the commercials comical, still triggering an emotional response, but in a humorous way.  Emotional marketing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to aid audience understanding of why your brand improves customers' lives.

Formula: Lifestyle Branding + Emotional Marketing + Delivering on Experience

If these two factors alone were enough to trigger brand loyalty, marketers would be a whole lot richer and brands wouldn't be struggling through price wars.  The final piece, and real key that makes your brand more than just a commodity, is truly delivering on the the needs of the lifestyle and the emotional experience your brand promises consumers.  Know your target audience.  If your product doesn't meet the needs of the lifestyle you are marketing to, your brand will be quickly dismissed because you don't truly understand the customer and industry.  Similarly, choose an emotion that is relevant to your product.  Making an emotional plea that doesn't align with your product will backfire.  Using your product must deliver on the emotional experience being advertised.  Say your brand sells winter wear.  If you choose to identify with an extreme sports lifestyle, ensure that your product enables freedom of movement, functionality, convenience and self-expression.  Furthermore, don't choose marketing that focuses on safety, but rather adventure or individuality.  By doing so, your audience will better identify with the brand and begin the path towards brand loyalty.

Formula: Lifestyle Branding + Emotional Marketing + Delivering on Experience = Brand Loyalty

So what's the answer I give our clients? Position your brand around your target audience's lifestyle choice, create authentic emotional marketing and deliver a brand experience that aligns with the brand's promise.