CONSUMER-BRAND RELATIONSHIPS, MUCH LIKE INTERPERSONAL CONNECTIONS, GO BEYOND TRANSACTIONS, SHAPING EMOTIONS, DECISIONS, AND IDENTITIES. DR. CLAUDIO ALVAREZ, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MARKETING, PROVIDES INSIGHTS FOR BUSINESSES AIMING TO FORGE LASTING, MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS WITH CUSTOMERS.
“How do we understand what makes these relationships work or not work for consumers and for the brand?”
BUSINESSES SHOULD BE AWARE THAT CONSUMERS ACTIVELY MANAGE THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH BRANDS BY BALANCING INHERENT TENSIONS AND DEMANDS. ALVAREZ'S RESEARCH IDENTIFIED ACTIONS CONSUMERS TAKE TO MANAGE THESE TENSIONS.
“One practice that we found was segmenting. So maybe one day you will go to Starbucks for something really special, but the other days you would just go to get your regular coffee. Another is balancing. Sometimes I would really want to talk and engage, but there will be times when I want to make sure I can just come in and out and make it quick. So maybe you and your connection with Mac, maybe you want to buy some products from another brand and most products from that brand. Another action is reframing in the relationship. So for instance, if the company just changed their basic offering, and now you cannot have your groceries the next day you have to wait two or three days to get your groceries. We also found some actions, like denying…I don't want to think about not having the brand in my life. And we did have quite a few examples of breakups.”
BY ADDRESSING TENSIONS EFFECTIVELY, COMPANIES CAN BENEFIT AND MAINTAIN A POSITIVE BRAND IMAGE, EVEN IF CONSUMERS LEAVE.
THE BUSINESS REVIEW IS A PRODUCTION OF LIVINGSTON AND MCKAY AND THE HANKAMER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT BAYLOR UNIVERSTIY.