Are you especially loyal to any one brand? If so, what is it and why are you so loyal?
The current frantic brand following by consumers and each having specific brand preferences was not something which was too common in the past decades. It is now, with the opportunities offered by the globalization that multinationals have emerged branding their products in the niche market and creating loyal communities. I, myself is committed to some brands because of their known-and-tested trust and quality. I am a fan of Apple’s iPhone and consider it as the best cellular device. The features of iPhone and the service quality offered by it are both phenomenal. I always go back to it because of the trust of being provided with an authentic and quality product. The best feature about the Apple iPhone is that it secures your data in the most effective way. Furthermore, theft of one’s phone can also not threaten loss of data and one’s private information remains safe.
When successfully building loyalty and community, trust seems to be the biggest factor. How can a company build trust and what is the best approach to do so (incorporating concepts from both the field of marketing and psychology)?
Trust; this seems to be the most important factor for building loyalty among the customers. There are many ways through which one company can create loyalty by gaining trust. One approach is to incorporate shared values in marketing campaigns and product branding. The customers being loyal to the beliefs follow the companies who associate themselves with these beliefs. This is one of the best ways to approach it. Another way can be to create an enemy. This may sound weird but with strong branding, a company needs to identify and then build on a specific position. For example, the notorious advertisement of Apple differentiating itself from Microsoft and making it its enemy brought fierce loyalty among the customers of Apple. The phrase “Cult of Apple” is not just used for kidding, it literally indicates towards the fierce loyalty of its customers. The researchers have proved it when they discovered that the same areas of the brain of Apple customers light up thinking about Apple, which lights up when one is thinking of religious beliefs (Shontell, 2011). One does not need to spur rivalries for creating brand loyalty; however mere identification of one’s brand to a specific group or belief will do it.
What are the ethical issues and obligations that come with trust once it is built?
With creating brand loyalty and a community which trust one’s company, the reputation, brand name, and image of the company are constantly on the line; it has to be maintained with premium service. For retaining of the image, the company needs to respect the customers for years and not merely when they make the purchase. If a loyal customer makes a complaint, one must account it as important as it would most probably be a genuine complaint. After-sales service should be provided by the companies and also given a top priority (Park, MacInnis, & Eisingerich, 2016). The warranties given by companies, when claimed are often rejected by making excuses. This should not be done as these customers will create a bad-mouth for the company. A company is also ethically responsible towards its customers; the company should always protect the personal information of its customers and do not disclose it to anyone (Pearson, 2016).
Should consumers’ trust companies? Why or why not?
Consumers should trust companies only when they have a trusted experience. This experience can be their own or of someone whom they trust. Without trusting a company, one would never buy anything. It does not necessarily mean that one should blindly trust a company. One should find and go through all the available information for a product or service before buying it, and then as per the information, one should give it a chance. Only by giving a chance, one can experience and test a service or product. Even if the experience did not go well, one can always go for other alternatives.
Do you think some consumers are just more prone to be loyal to companies and other consumers are not? Why or why not?
Some customers are more prone to be loyal than others. This is because of the nature of the customers. Some customers can switch their brands based on the offered prices. But there are also others who are loyal to their brands and remain loyal to them even if lower prices are offered by other brands. These are the ones which should be looked after by companies through quality service. Companies should listen to these customers more often and tend to retain them rather than looking for new clients.
References
Park, C. W., MacInnis, D. J., & Eisingerich, A. B. (2016). Brand Admiration: Building A Business People Love. John Wiley & Sons.
Pearson, S. (2016). Building Brands Directly: Creating Business Value from Customer Relationships. Springer.
Shontell, A. (2011, May 21). IT’S OFFICIAL: Apple Fanboyism Is A Religion: Neuroscientists Find Both Trigger Same Reaction In Brain. Retrieved February 22, 2018, from Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-is-a-religion-neuroscientists-find-it-triggers-the-same-reaction-in-your-brain-2011-5
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