BRANDED MEANS WANTED... AND LOYAL!

What gets the same customers returning again and again without fail? These customers are invaluable, influencing newer ones, thus widening and enlarging the customer pool of the brand. Which is why loyal customers make the ultimate brand ambassadors.

As the world embraces globalisation, it becomes inevitable that social changes occur too. Social and cultural barriers slowly disappear and people acquire different tastes and lifestyles as society becomes more exposed to the wide variety of choices that await them. And one of the most influential ways that effectively exposes them would be the media. Instrumental in influencing the buying behaviour that accompanies the choices that people make, it becomes the key to opening the door to their choices.

The question is, with the people of today's migratory patterns gearing them up for a more cosmopolitan lifestyle, can they remain faithful to a brand?

Let's look around at the current market. Today's ever-expanding number of brands on the shelves offer an unlimited number of choices and with each new brand in the market, the chances are customers would like to try out the latest in-thing. Getting customers to remain loyal has become extremely challenging. If only one factor to keep them loyal were to be identified, that factor would be brand loyalty. But is brand loyalty possible in today's saturated market?

For brand loyalty to take place, the product has to first be built to become a brand. This is achieved through constant long-term brand-building exercises. Once brand building occurs, the brands are able to communicate to customers its Unique Selling Propositions (USP) and its Emotional Selling Proposition (ESP). The USP and ESP allow brands to convey their exclusive brand images and brand personalities. These are important in helping to create brand recall among its customers, which in turn would lead to brand association and brand loyalty. Customers associate themselves with the brands that they wish to be identified with because these brands have made their presence felt in the customers' lives. This would explain why many of us remain faithful to certain brands.

One brand that is constantly making waves is IKEA.

Practically everyone who has been to IKEA would faithfully return. Many return not because they have developed an overnight craze for furniture and household products, but simply because they want to be there.

IKEA's prominent asset to customer loyalty is its shopping ambience of its 201 stores worldwide. Its strategy to offer quality, value-for-money and affordable home furnishings to its customers around the world has earned die-hard fans. They are introduced to the complete IKEA brand experience: self-service, good quality and knock-down furniture at fantastic prices, great ambience, customer services and family care.

Brand-building exercises allow IKEA to communicate its USP and ESP, the building blocks of brand recall, to eventually built brand loyalty. Its website, as a brand-positioning tool, is not only maintained to ensure that the brand's USP and ESP are successfully communicated, but also used to inform its customers of its latest products, promotions and other customer benefits. And do you know that IKEA's catalogues are the world's most widely read, with 145 million copies printed in 2004 alone? All these help to achieve brand loyalty to help increase the mind share and market share that is hugely responsible for the RM54,280 million in IKEA sales worldwide in 2004! (www.ikea.com).

Milo and Maggi by Nestlé are some of the brands that have stood the test of time. Their branding activities over the years have developed strong relationships with their target markets, where understanding and trust have built the desired brand loyalty towards Milo and Maggi. The fortified chocolate-flavoured beverage, Milo, is easily the preferred choice of all-time beverage in homes and mamak stalls. The famous red and yellow logo of Maggie's 2-minute instant noodles too has become a part of every household kitchen. Customers who stay true to their favourite brands are the backbone behind long-term ROI.

Brand loyalty remains one of the best long-term strategies to fight the price war. Instead of compromising on price, brands should build themselves to become wanted. Brand loyalty means that a brand is always wanted for its quality, originality, creativity and intangible satisfaction. And to achieve brand loyalty, long-term and effective brand-building exercises that build and maintain the understanding and trust between the brand and the customers are essential. Ultimately, loyal customers are the ones who play a decisive role in the long-term profits of a brand.

So take the first step. Build your brand to become wanted in the first place to achieve brand loyalty.

To get customers loyal to your brand, talk2us@peopalove.com or call
+604-2288 696.