In an increasingly competitive digital world, what can brands do to stand out? How can a brand become a ‘love brand’ and transcend a traditional client/company relationship?

A brand suddenly transforming into a love brand of its own volition is about as easy as a youtuber posting a video with the intention of making it go viral. It’s not impossible, but neither of these outcomes is achieved by will alone and each depends on the audience or consumers. In the case of brands, they can – of course – play their part in influencing the final outcome. Let’s take a look, then, at how a brand can become a love brand.

With the increasing competition and array of brands and products on the market, brands must do more than simply exist on social media. This, of course, with regard to the digital world and without mentioning product distribution and placement on commercial premises.

But first of all, let’s remind ourselves of the concept of a love brand.

What is a Love Brand?

‘Love Brand’ was the expression created to describe brands or companies that managed to gain consumer loyalty in a way that goes beyond simple product preference. A love brand is a status; it’s not just a product, but a way of life. In the genesis of a love brand, there are some very important pillars that all brands should cultivate, regardless of their success in achieving this status.

A little exercise for the reader: identify a love brand in your life

But before we explore what the pillars are that make up a love brand, here is an exercise for the reader:

To perfectly understand the concept of a love brand, there is nothing like feeling it on your skin. Think of your favourite brands and identify at least one that you tend to go for simply because you prefer it above all others in the same industry, regardless of price.

What makes consumers fall in love with a brand?

What makes a brand a love brand? Let’s see.

1. Gaining customer loyalty

One of the essential pillars of a love brand is, precisely, gaining customer loyalty. This is when customers choose it over other brands, even when others offer lower prices.

An interesting fact of consumer loyalty to a brand is that it sometimes generates polarisation between competing brands. Take, for example, the following polarizations:

• Marvel vs. DC
• McDonald’s vs. Burger King
• Coca-cola vs. Pepsi

These are some of the best-known examples of epic “duels” between competing brands. The phenomenon here has to do with the fact that consumers themselves defend the “honour” of their brand of choice tooth and nail on social media, thereby contributing to the increased popularity of both brands.

2. It reaches consumers’ unconscious through the awakening of emotions

Nowadays, a brand that reaches the level of love brand is a brand that makes us feel something. A good product or service is no longer enough; it must stir feelings in consumers. These can be feelings of freedom, creativity, notalgia, exclusivity, among others. Additionally, when consumers identify a love brand, it means that, in some way, they identify with its values.

Once again, think about the love brand you identified above and ask yourself: “how does this brand make me feel?”

Maybe it’s not even the brand itself, but its advertising. By the way, be sure to check out the article “As melhores campanhas de publicidade de todos os tempos”  (according to the BYD team). In it, you can find examples of campaigns that have stirred the most varied emotions of several employees in our team.

3. Provide excellent customer service

In a love brand, customer service extends far beyond your purchase and is equally valid for followers and/or potential customers. We are talking here about Community Management and Customer Care. The way a brand behaves and interacts on social media is key to conquering one of the pillars of a love brand. Furthermore, these interactions on and off social media (through a call centre or another service line) can help to completely change a company’s image.

The example of community management from McDonald’s. A simple but warm answer.

 

The key to cementing a love brand is…

It’s time to review what we’ve covered and summarise what helps a brand achieve love brand status:

1.  Client Care: investing in the quality of customer service.
2.  Community: Management: interacting with customers and/or followers in a human and close way.
3.  Sentimento: through communication and social media itself, it is possible to inspire feelings in consumers/followers, making them emotionally connect with the brands.

Of course, this is a very brief summary of what makes a brand truly enter the hearts and minds of consumers. In fact, brand loyalty is not entirely linked to products, rather to the way a consumer identifies with the brand’s own values and what they represent to him or her: a sense of belonging, familiarity, freedom, nostalgia, exclusivity, etc. What matters is the feeling of being awakened.

Conclusion

The new generation of consumers is looking, more than ever, for an emotional connection with brands. Consumers are more demanding and tend not to trust overly formal, dehumanised and standardised brands. There is a desire to identify with the values of brands, to interact with them and, in turn, for them to make us (as consumers) feel special.

We know that these unstable times of the pandemic and lockdowns have brought tough challenges to many companies and brands from different areas and sectors, however this is also an excellent time to work on your digital platforms, build relationships with your customers and followers and invest in an increasingly close and empathetic communication.

 

BYD specialises in social media management, copywriting, community management, website design and creation, so we can help you study, create and implement the best strategy for your brand!

 

Get in touch and let us know about your project; we’d love to help you bring in new customers and, who knows, perhaps conquer the world of love brands!

You can also contact our specialist company in brand creation.

By the way, what are the first 3 ‘love brands’ that came to mind while reading this article?