Typical brand strategy often involves making it unattractive and costly for a customer to switch brands, but does little to reward brand loyalty in a positive way. But how about instead of penalizing a customer with switching costs, a brand strategy focused on rewarding future brand loyalty with tangible convenience and cost savings? That's a point of differentiation.
I experienced a relatively simple brand strategy that creates this upside advantage for being a loyal customer.
Creating Positive Future Brand Loyalty
In a bizarre set of circumstances, our front door lock broke, leaving me stuck outside in below zero wind chill temperatures. After taking a photo of the lock to best match its style, I headed to the hardware store for a replacement ahead of the locksmith arriving to replace it.
Before the locksmith left, he pointed out that if we ever wanted to re-key the lock, we could do it ourselves. All it took was inserting the current key into the lock along with putting a little thingamajig into a slot in the lock. After turning and removing the current key and substituting it with any other key that fit (which ours did because it was the same brand), the lock would then open with the new key.
He asked if I wanted him to demonstrate. I was all over the idea since we have five or more keys that fit the old lock made by the same manufacturer. He went through the steps, and suddenly all our keys to the old lock worked with the new lock.
No inconvenience or cost associated with having to get a full complement of keys replaced.
No time spent changing keys on our own key rings.
No hassle of having to trade out keys with those people having backup keys to our house.
Talk about a brand strategy delivering a feature that works like crazy to cultivate future brand loyalty by eliminating hassles and switching costs when it’s time to replace your brand’s product!
What comparable brand strategy examples do you see?
What example are you familiar with that deliver the same type of built-in, positive incentives toward future brand loyalty? – Mike Brown
