So, can we agree that having many brand loyalists is definitely a good thing? Really, who wouldn’t want as many users of their product as possible? Since that is arguably a very desirable goal, shouldn’t the aim of any aggressive marketing campaign be to stomp out the competition completely? Decry your competitors products as inferior? In a perfect world, maybe only your brand would dominate the market. But that’s just that: a perfect world.
While tradition and conventional marketing says its best to approach competitors in a “me vs. you” situation, where “me” is always pictured as superior, a recent study out of Harvard has shed light on consumer behavior that runs counter to this mode of thinking. The study found that fans of one brand who “flirt” with another brand’s similar product become more loyal to their primary brand of choice. In fact, the study shows that fans of brand “A” who had a product affair with brand “B” were actually willing to spend more money on their preferred brand, “A”.
So why is this that experimenting with a competitor’s brand actually can increase brand loyalty? Harvard professor Francesca Gino reveals that the psychology behind it all is very similar to flirting in interpersonal relationships. When we flirt with someone we are uncommitted to, it provides a rush of fresh and novel feelings. Likewise, using a product from a competing brand provides a similar rush, and such feelings can be used to develop a stronger affinity for the originally preferred brand.
So next time you see a competing brand ramp up its advertising budget for a rival product, take a moment before you follow suit. Maybe a few of your brand loyalists will give into the temptation to try that “something new”, and in the process, discover just how much they are attracted to what you offer.
via Bevans Branham Click Here
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