Marketing Profs

The ultimate goal of any marketing campaign is to create brand loyalty. You want customers to remain loyal to you no matter what price your competitors offer them, no matter what product substitutes they offer, no matter what services they offer.

Brand Loyalty

Brand loyalty is the elimination of two steps in the Buying Process.

Once the prospect perceives a problem, a need is created. Without bothering to seek information about resolving that need, without evaluating alternative methods of resolving that need, the prospect simply buys from you.

Brand loyalty begins with the purchase. Until that first purchase, the customer simply had a need and perceived that you (or your product) could fill that need. With his purchase begins the opportunity for you to create brand loyalty.

That step is called post-purchase satisfaction.

When you buy a lawnmower, you have made a substantial investment that you hope will solve your problem: your grass needs cutting. You hope that lawnmower will cut the grass, and you hope it will do it evenly and cleanly. You hope the lawnmower will not require a great deal of maintenance or repair; but if it does, you hope the dealer will do it quickly and inexpensively. In short, you have certain expectations about the lawnmower and its performance.

If the lawnmower performs up to your expectations, you are pleased. You have post-purchase satisfaction. But, there are two parts to post-purchase satisfaction. Empirical evidence, how the product meets your expectations, is just one part.

The other part is how the product satisfies your need to be accepted and your approval by others. How does your neighbor feel about your purchase? "Wow! What a nice-looking new lawnmower, George. Pretty fancy. Wish I had one like that."