Ongoing debate at brandchannel – Is Brand Loyalty Dead?
The two sides… Cheating Heart and True Love (!)
I think there will be a difference based on the kind of market / economy – in a developed, saturated market with few unbranded products, I would imagine more brand parity existing as opposed to less developed markets (like India?) where brands – especially the ‘old’ brands – can still claim loyalty among consumers.
And more importantly, the existence and extent of brand loyalty would also depend on the kind of product – for instance, soap? nah! (though you would be surprised by the number of people who swear by brands like Hamam and Horlicks – as I have found out again and again during research in Tamilnadu!). Many factors – how important is the product in my life, what does the brand do for my image, what is the risk in shifting brands – would go into determining brand loyalty…
What do you think?
Hey Charu,
Kool blog!If i consider U.S., as a saturated market, i can tell u(although not with any extensive data to back it up) that there is less brand loyalty in a saturated market because of the awareness of the buying folk.The internet bargain shopping are eating the shares of major retailers.It’s the survival of the fittest.Both in price and quality. Brand Loyalty is directly proportional to the intelligence/savviness of the buyer. If i get something cheaper in Walmart and it is of same quality in Bloomingdales,am not going to Bloomingdales bcoz am loyal.
brand loyalty – isn’t it just how strongly a brand is marketed that induces it? sometimes the quality makes a difference – but mostly its marketing. A newer, fresher, more-in product or brand comes in and can easily change the loyalty..i think. i doubt though if the “royal doulton” generation will ever go for the contemporary new fine-china brands in the same price range…
i’ve been reading this blog since a while..just added it as a link on mine. hope thats okay.
Welcome, Soleil! I do think brand loyalty is becomng more and more of a rarity in today’s overcrowded market. but guys, hats off to those brands which manage to keep the customers hooked to them, come what may…