Focus 02: Building Brand Loyalty: Authenticity

This week in our daily bite sized snippets we explore BUILDING BRAND LOYALTY.

Today’s topic is: AUTHENTICITY

Brands and retailers who acted compassionately and projected a positive message throughout the pandemic are on a strong footing from which to build recovery. We explore how maintaining this momentum and direction is key to building brand loyalty.

With kindness, consideration and responsibility valued traits throughout the coronavirus pandemic, consumers want to have confidence that brands are what they say they are, and whether a value offer or a premium proposition, brands need to stay true to their values.

During lockdown many consumers had more time to think about their purchase decisions. Based on additional free time, consumers read, researched and consumed more information about products than they would have done before. While having the time to absorb this amount of information is relatively short-term as consumers lives return to some level of normality, choices made and opinions formed during this period are likely to influence their purchase decisions in the years to come.

Before coronavirus, brands and retailers were already vulnerable to receiving bad press (some with foundation and others without), that was prone to spreading like wildfire based on instant information available through numerous social and media channels. Although no brand or retailer can expect to be seen as squeaky clean all of the time, coming out of lockdown consumers will want to support brands and retailers more than ever who they believe are authentic and stay true to their values.

However, it is important to remember that consumers are not fools and with a renewed focus on doing the right thing they are setting the bar high. Where consumers see actions by brands purely as a PR exercise rather than through real purpose, they will quickly be exposed. So it is key in a world of more considered consumption that brands and retailers stay true to their values and reassure consumers of their authenticity.

Consumers generally don’t expect brands and retailers to deliver what is unrealistic, but they do expect brands to genuinely do what they can, and most importantly do what they say.

How brands and retailers are already perceived by consumers, and actions they’ve taken during the pandemic, will naturally affect the starting point for communicating authenticity. During lockdown even some of the biggest retailers have received negative press for making poor decisions, and are making U-turns to win back consumer loyalty as physical retail starts to reopen.

As a brand or a retailer there are number of things that you can do now to reassure your consumers that you are what you say you are.

Ensure that promotion around your positive activity during the pandemic is an accurate reflection of your actions and the results, and not misleading or over-inflated.

Consider not talking about the good things that you’ve done – sometimes the appreciation of those on the receiving end is all that matters. Humility is a great attribute for a brand to have and good deeds and honourable behaviour tends to spread organically.

Do what you say you are going to with conviction, not just because it’s what you think you need to do.

Based on our ability to get under the skin of brands and retailers, and our expertise in capturing brand values through a wide range of communications, we can support you in defining what authenticity means for your brand and how to project this to your consumers.

As your consumers find themselves living in a changed world, what can you do now to project your positive brand values, demonstrate your commitment to what’s important to them and earn their loyalty.

Get in touch if you would like to arrange a virtual workshop with our founding Directors Adrian & Jenny to see how can help you work through your opportunities, or download the full document HERE