Love Brands are, as the name implies, brands desired and loved by their consumers. Find out how to create a Love Brand
With the proliferation of brands in the market, it is becoming increasingly competitive to distinguish your brand from the competition and lead consumers to become loyal to it. There are several examples of brands that have been achieving Love Brands status and that manage to create and leverage a community around them, which reinforces their identity.
Love Brands are, as the name says, brands desired and loved by their consumers. In other words, they manage to overcome barriers in the brand vs. consumer relationship. These consumers become fans of the brand and are so loyal that they do not care about the increase in the value of the products of the brand in question. Some even become synonymous with the product category, such as Gillette.
But how is it possible to do the same with my brand?
These brands have a well-defined purpose and strategy, created to be able to convey this message through any action, communication channel they use. This is crucial to be able to capture and create a connection with your target audience. No matter how much your competitors invest in communication or change the positioning and price of their products, they cannot reach the brand due to the loyalty that consumers have with it.
But what brands are these?
Brands such as Coca-Cola, Netflix, Ikea, McDonald's, Apple, Canon, Dr. Bayard and Licor Beirão are good examples of brands that have reached this level of Love Brands. These have reached a Love Brand status that is quite distant from their competitors in the market. The human being is composed of habits, social and cultural factors, that is, when choosing a certain brand, it gains an advantage in relation to the others.
Advantages of being a Love Brand
Love Brands have the great advantage of having a great advantage over their competition. Their main focus is not only to retain customers, but also to make that relationship emotional, thus making all decisions and communications have the purpose of strengthening that relationship.
Being a Love Brand has countless advantages, we now leave some of the most important for a brand.
- Loyal consumers
With the creation of solid bonds with customers, which is the objective of a Love Brand, it will lead to consumers loyal to the brand, they defend it, make spontaneous advertising and guarantee recurring revenue to the company. They are also willing to praise, constructively criticize, generating recognition through consumers which makes it more credible for non-consumers. These loyal customers have such a strong connection with the brand, products or services that they recommend them to friends, family and on social networks who become promoters of the brand. For the brand to maintain these loyal customers, it must try to meet the expectations of these consumers and maintain a consistency of language and value delivery. - Consumers less sensitive to price
When consumers are loyal to a brand, they are more willing to pay more for the brand's products. This, as is obvious, brings several benefits, for example, with the value of raw materials increasing, it is necessary to increase the prices of products, having a Love Brand means that the brand will not lower its revenues by increasing the prices of products. Apple consumers who don't mind paying more for products because they identify with the brand, as they are focused on the message and values transmitted by the brands. - More credible and stable brand
A Love Brand takes special care of consumers and, therefore, offers a differentiated customer experience, thus generating more credibility. That said, the brand has a unique and positive image, standing out from the competition and creating stability for the company and room for new investments. - Motivated employees
A Love Brand tends to attract motivated employees who are willing to learn and improve. By hiring employees who identify with the brand, it is reflected in the work and quality of the services provided by them.
Criteria to become a love brand
Marketing professionals study and work hard to understand what factors are needed for a brand to become a Love Brand. They study the processes that the brand has to create to achieve and become a Love Brand, ignoring others that offer the same services or products.
The great challenge that brands find to become Love Brands is to reach the consumer's unconscious. So the next question is how do we achieve it?
For your brand to become a Love Brand, you must follow the following criteria:
- Publicize the company's values
The company must work on its mission, vision and values in order to create and live a practical code of conduct. In it, you must place the values and points of interest and connection that may generate interest, clarify why the company does what it does, so that people can identify and relate to the brand. This document will make your brand's culture close to and recognized by consumers, the document must be written in a language that anyone can interpret and understand.
Loyalty to the brand is not simply due to the type and quality of the brand's products, but rather to the values and what the brand represents for the consumer. Such as innovation, exclusivity, among other attributes. The consumer must be the focal point in your story, not your brand! - Invest in customer service
Customer service is a key factor relevant to becoming a Love Brand, as it is the main channel of direct communication with the consumer in the most critical moments of the relationship.
A well-done service can completely change the consumer's perspective, it is necessary that the brand has a customer-oriented service conduct, that is, more humanized and differentiated, always paying attention to consumer suggestions. One of the main ways to reach the Love Brand category is by providing good customer service and winning their loyalty. - Bet on social media
An excellent case of Love Brand is, for example, Control. The brand is always on everyone's lips and is a reference for interaction on social media. The same shares several creative posts, with humor; themes that Generation Z and Millennials love and interact with immensely.
These interactions go viral on networks and all their posts are shared by many people, even if they are not consumers, the entire community recognizes the brand and is top of mind when it comes to products in the categories in which the brand operates. This creates sympathy and connection with the brand, which confirms that the title of Love Brand goes far beyond the products.
In general, a Love Brand is a stage of excellence for brands. To achieve it, a lot of commitment and dedication is needed, which allows you to win customer loyalty in a significant and memorable way.
