Consumer brands create loyalty

Humanity is a strange species.  While other species seem to live by a pure instinct to survive and breed, mankind has, instead, moved past that.

Instead, we spend our time searching for some sort of meaning in a seemingly meaningless universe. Of course, this is a difficult task, and most people seem happy to outsource meaning to the brands they are loyal to.

I believe people use brand loyalty to help define who they are too much sometimes.

According to a 2010 article on YouAreNotSmart.com, “branding builds on…loyalty by giving you the option to create the person you think you are through choosing to align yourself with the mystique of certain products.”

Of course, no one is immune to branding. Everyone, in some form or another, identifies themselves through a product or ideology.

For instance, I tend to identify closely with music.  I love the PS4, too: probably a result of my brand loyalty to Sony. I have been satisfied with many of their products. Heck, I’m typing this story on a Sony Vaio.

For example, I like Coke more than Pepsi, but I didn’t watch the Super Bowl nor do I care about the commercials.  I just prefer Coke’s taste so usually purchase Coke only.  Cherry Coke to be exact.

But why?  It could be psychological with being exposed to Coca-Cola at a young age, but I was exposed to many carbonated beverages though probably not as often as some children.

So the question remains, does Cherry Coke define me as an individual?

I will admit I do have a somewhat fan-boy mentality to Cherry Coke, but to the degree that I will defend its flavor. If someone said Cherry Coke is no better than stomach bile, I would have to greatly disagree, to the point of a heated argument.

I am definitely a fan boy when it comes to music and will admit it every time. I will geek out over musical artists, movie directors and video game companies.

One of the most recent fan boy feuds was over which next gen console was better, Sony Playstation 4 or Micrsoft Xbox One.  A lot of people left Xbox for the cheaper and probably more efficient, PS4.

According to the published works of Jagdish N. Sheth and C. Whan Park of the University of Illinois titled: “A Theory of Multidimensional Brand Loyalty”, brand loyalty is not limited to behavioral reactions to the purchase of a particular brand.  Consumers may be brand loyal, even though they may have never bought the product before.
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“Teenagers become extremely loyal to a certain make of an automobile even though he has never bought, owned, possessed or even driven it.”

Unfortunately, I think this is a poor, weak way to define ourselves.  We need to define ourselves by being our true selves.

We must strive for achievements and fulfilling goals as individuals not having the nicest car on the lot.  It’s fine to have preferred tastes. We all do, in many forms.

Reliance on our tastes, instead of our triumphs, for personal definition is part of why this generation is stereotyped as “lazy” and “entitled.”

One cannot buy a personality; one must be it.

Reach columnist Chris Moser at [email protected]