Re-Examining Consumer-Brand Relationships

May 20, 2010

The idiosyncrasies, both rational and irrational, of consumer-brand relationships often rival that of Hollywood’s most salacious couples. It is no wonder why those of us in the marketing community spend so much time trying to better understand them.

Consumers are not always ideal partners. They expect a lot from their brands, but are not always good at communicating their needs. When brands don’t deliver on some expectation, the consumer may employ the silent treatment, or worse, give in to another brand’s advances.  The consumer of course, may say—“it’s not you, it’s me,” but we all know that’s a ruse. It’s always you.

Even in the best environments, the consumer-brand relationship is a tumultuous one to manage. Unfortunately, we are not living in a best-case environment. Greece is facing financial ruin; the results will undoubtedly wreak havoc on all global markets. The gulf coast may soon become an ecological and financial disaster thanks to the millions of gallons of crude oil that are currently flowing out of what’s left of BP’s oil rig.  The unemployment rate continues to hover at 10%. We just cannot catch a break.

The consumer-brand relationship mirrors real-life relationships. Added stressors create tension, miscommunications, hurt feelings, and some nights on the couch. Speaking as a relationship coach–it is a good time to re-evaluate what you’re bringing to the table.

We at Northlich conducted in-depth consumer research to understand what lingering effects the recession would have. Our findings surprised us, especially in regards to the changing dynamic of the consumer-brand relationship.  Now is a great time to revisit it. Click here to view the PDF.

posted by miguel sanchez May 20, 2010 in blog, rehavior