What is this thing called brand loyalty? What are we really thinking when we say we prefer Brand X over another? These researchers identified some key thought processes of brand loyalists when comparing a beloved product to a new upstart, and offered some handy advice for marketers.
They invited consumers to review a set of ads about a "new" personal-music product. The group was pre-screened to include some who were loyal to the Sony brand, and others who weren't as committed. The target advertisement promoted a new brand of player called Lenoxx, with the tag line, "Is It a Sony? No, It's a Lennoxx!" Participants were asked to evaluate the new item compared to a Sony. The results:
- Shoppers with a high commitment to Sony tended to focus on the dissimilarities between their preferred brand and the new product.
- Those with a low commitment to Sony tended to focus on the similarities between the products.
The researchers then noted that flipping consumers' thought processes could encourage a sale:
- Encouraging brand-loyal consumers to focus on the similarities between their beloved product and a new one could boost sales of the new product.
- Noting the dissimilarities between products to shoppers with no particular loyalty could help move them toward a purchase decision.
The Po!nt: Careful how you say that. Try focusing on similarities when promoting a new product to loyalists, and dissimilarities between products when selling to consumers with no brand preference.
Source: "The Effect of Brand Commitment on the Evaluation of Nonpreferred Brands: A Disconfirmation Process," by Sekar Raju, H. Rao Unnava and Nicole Votolato Montgomery. Journal of Consumer Research.
by Christina "CK" Kerley
Comments
by BizConsult Wed Mar 4, 2009
Not sure this applies in all situations - need to link the focus with purchase intent/conversion: in other words - what they focus on may not lead to brand switching. For example, just talking about similarities, between a new and existing product, when talking to loyalists doesn't give them any reason to switch! Why would a brand-loyal consumer be incentivized to buy a new product that doesn't perform differently from what they already have? Sounds like a hard sell to me.
by barvin Wed Mar 4, 2009
exactly... infact, it would be far more effective to get non-loyalists to shift, by foucssing on the similarities of the new product with those of the existing brand, needless to say the offering has to include some key attributes which match the buyers' needs.