Brand loyalty envy

I was tickled to see a bumper sticker on the back of an original blue mini while driving this morning. It said simply: 100% BMW free I wasn't always a fan of BMW's, but I have always been a fan of Minis. As much as I respect the brand value of BMW, something appeals to me that this Mini would be more favoured simply for the lack of current owner BMW's influence over the original. The passion of that customer for 'the real' Mini is brand loyalty to covet. The power across the 'ages' of the Mini brand and what it means to drive one, is something to strive for. Mini enjoys phenomenal brand loyalty on two plains - original and the reinvented versions, although I suspect Mini would prefer to think of it as one brand journey. How many of today's mega brands will have that longevity? Comparatively, most of what we have for brands these days are ships in the night. This post isn't enough to make your brand into a legend - but I believe that there is much to be learned from emulating the practices that make such brands last through the ages. May your brand inspire bumper stickers 50 years on. Are there any brands that have become part of the fabric of who you are? Apply this to your business: - Make your product or service as good as it could possibly be. Part of that is about making sure that the product or service is actually useful to warrant its purchase. A brilliantly executed useless thingymajig can't escape the useless part. You may be good enough to sell a few, but it will never be loved. Make it consistently reliable, always do what it professes to do, and when it doesn't, do whatever it takes to make it work for the customer again. - Know your customer. You don't need to be all things to everyone. Find who your product or service best suits and serve them. Understand what they like about your product, and engage them in dialogue to relentlessly be better at what you do. Once you know the shape of your customer, become an expert on where to find them. - Be consistent in your communication and find something real to hang your brand's hat on. Make it uniquely wonderful to you. Its essence should be strong enough to stand the test of time, with the trimmings of modernisation, but the same self shining through. The associations you bring to your brand are what helps customers and potential customers understand how what you sell can shape their lives, lifestyle, business or self. If its one-dimensional, or you can't articulate it, your customer will not make a deeper connection to your brand. - Reinvent or update your brand without losing what it means. If you do not change with the times, you will become part of history. If you keep up with who your customers and competitors are, you should have this built in to your strategy. Bronwyn Durand writes the Marketing Ideaology blog for JupiterJasper Practical Marketing.