What makes some brands beloved by their audience, while others struggle to establish an emotional connection? The answer lies in the delicate balance between love and respect that only the most successful brands achieve.
What's Love got to do with it?
The concept of Lovebrands, popularized by Kevin Roberts in his book "Lovemarks," introduces a fascinating perspective on branding. Lovebrands transcend mere functionality to forge a deep emotional connection with their audience. While the affection we feel for a brand isn't equivalent to personal love, it can reach a point where it defies easy explanation. This emotional bond is a result of the perfect fusion of two vital elements: love and respect.
This fusion gives rise to four distinct quadrants that categorize brands based on their emotional rapport with consumers. The quadrant with low levels of 'love' and 'respect' represents 'generic products' or 'commodities,' where the connection is primarily utilitarian. On the contrary, the quadrant where 'Lovemarks' thrive is characterized by high levels of both love and respect. In this domain, the connection is deeply emotional, transcending mere functionality. Complementing this spectrum are 'fads,' showcasing weak respect but unexplainable emotional links.
Consider cigarettes, which aren't health-friendly but can still evoke a sense of pleasure. This exemplifies a fad brand. Loyalty here often stems from product convenience or associations with addiction or routine.
Interestingly, the Love Brands model accommodates 'brands'—highly respected yet emotionally less connected. For Kevin Roberts, respect alone isn't enough to foster enduring relationships. Genuine consumer attachment necessitates a profound degree of love and attraction. Achieving this demands attributes like product mystery, sensuality, or a strong sense of intimacy with the brand.
Love is Repaid with Love
I acknowledge that for most marketers, the notion of "love" might seem a bit unusual. Especially when they are in the company of administrators who are passionate about Excel macros and financial dashboards rather than the brand itself.
To help decode the effects of love for brands for the left-brained, we turn to Silvia Danne's book to quantify the impacts of a lovebrand. And, thinking about the financial minds, here's the ROI of Brand Love:
Beloved brands exhibit 33% higher levels of loyalty compared to other brands.
Consumers of lovebrands show 36% more willingness to pay a higher price.
Recommendations from lovebrands to third parties are 18% higher compared to other brands.
The numbers are heartwarming, but does this mean that the only path that matters in branding strategies is Love?
Can I be a LoveBrand too, please?
It depends. Everything suggests that love, when it's born, isn't exactly the same for all brands. Academic literature on this subject reveals research that shows different results considering two distinct types of brands: utilitarian and symbolic.
Indeed, it's hard to imagine a consumer falling head over heels for the brand of motor oil they put in their car. But it's easy to understand the love felt for a Louis Vuitton wallet that promises a place in the heaven of social aspiration. Both brands are, on a material level, utilitarian products. However, on a symbolic level, the functional positioning of motor oil performance doesn't activate the limbic system in the same way the alluring Louis Vuitton monogram does due to its emotional and self-expressive positioning.
It's Me, Not You!
For the sake of the relationship, it's important to recognize that not all brands are ready for Love. It's not about being afraid of being happy; it's simply that they don't possess the necessary dimensions to become a LoveBrand.
For example, Porsche Consulting identified four factors explaining Brand Love:
INTIMACY: The degree of connection the consumer feels towards the brand.
IDENTIFICATION: The contribution of the brand to the desired personality.
PASSION: The level of attraction the consumer feels towards the brand.
SUPERIORITY: The perceived degree of superiority of the brand compared to the competition.
The interplay between the functional and symbolic dimensions isn't unique to Porsche. Various research leads to a similar interpretation: The weight of both the functional and symbolic dimensions of the brand determines its potential to become a lovebrand.
If a brand explores a functional positioning, its narrative is likely to lack emotion, hardly invoking feelings. On the other hand, if a brand emphasizes a symbolic expression but neglects its functional dimension, we end up with what were referred to as 'whim-brands' at the beginning of this newsletter.
So, where do we stand: Love or Convenience?
In conclusion, loyalty isn't actually purchased with money. It results from the emotional investment the brand makes in the consumer. Working on brand identification, deepening the degree of engagement with the brand's story and values, and developing brand associations that contribute to the consumer's personal, social, and aspirational development are paths that will awaken even the shyest brand's enchantments.
Otherwise, if we limit ourselves to the functional dimension of the brand, we risk the consumer being faithful to our product until the day they fall in love with our competitor, tired of being in an unrequited relationship.
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