“Lovemarks”- Kevin Roberts
This book is all about creating “loyalty beyond reason” in consumers. Roberts believes love and creating an emotional connection with customers is the way to a successful business. This outlook interested me as I think it could encourage me to look at branding in a new way.
Why are brands struggling to connect with people?
- Brands are worn out from overuse “overused, sterile and unimaginative”.
- Brands are no longer mysterious
- Brands can’t understand the new customer
- They struggle with competition
- They’ve been captured by formula
- Smothered by conservatism
After reading all these points, I cant help but agree with a lot of them. In today’s day and age, we are bombarded by brands everywhere we go. This makes it hard to choose the best brand, never mind form an emotional connection with one. There are constantly new and better brands emerging so its not hard to see why businesses are struggling to keep loyal customers. In the “information age”, customers can find out everything about a brand such as, hidden agendas. Therefore, if they see any problems with it, they will simply move onto the next thing.
Emotional Rescue
“Human beings are powered by emotion, not by reason”. The majority of people shop and make decisions based on emotion. This is why “making people feel good about a brand, getting a positive emotion, is key”
Love needs respect
I think these are some great points for a brand to consider to gain not only love from a consumer, but respect. Some of the main points I took from this are “don’t hide” as I think it is very important for a brand to tell their story so people can connect with them. “Deliver great design” is a great point as it encourages you to be different and stand out from others. “Deserve trust”, for customers to become loyal, they must trust the brand. The only way to do this is to put them first, be honest and don’t let them down.
I thought this was an interesting quote as it shows how fast a customer can decide about a brand or product. Good first impressions are essential because, with all the competition out there, is a customer sees an issue, they will move on.
Lovemarks
Principles
- Be passionate
- Involve customers
- Celebrate loyalty
- Find, tell, and retell great stories
- Accept responsibility
I believe that telling a brand story is one of the best ways to create that emotional connection. It provides an opportunity for customers to get to know the brand, where they came from and their values. This way, if people have the same values, they can relate and see themselves in the brand. For example, if someone is passionate about helping the environment and they find a brand that are determined to help that cause, they will feel a connection to them.
What I have learnt
I think building an emotional connection is the only way for a brand to gain loyalty and trust and last a long time. It is essential to achieve this to stand out from the never-ending competition. Customers will only care about a brand if they are passionate about what they are doing and showcase their values and goals. I will take what i’v learnt into my own personal brand and make sure I tell my story while displaying my work in a way that it connects with people.