Making friends through loyalty, consistency, honesty, kindness and relevance.
Brands are designed to bring in revenue; we get that. But great brands, the brands that stay with us for life, offer consumers something more. They deliver on brand loyalty, consistency, honesty, kindness and relevance to establish genuine friendship.
Here are a few of our favourite brands who have been lifelong friends to consumers.
Brand Loyalty
Petbarn builds brand loyalty by promoting a genuine care for customers. Their clever, tailored email campaigns draw on user data to segment consumer types (dog owners, cat owners, bird owners) and send content specific to these categories.
These ongoing email campaigns – and the encouraging copy that goes with them – successfully establish Petbarn as a partner in the animal parenting process, conveying brand loyalty by commenting on feeding choices, issuing congratulations, and performing check-ins.
Brand Consistency
We all have a friend who’s a bit inconsistent. They show up when they need you, drop out of your life for a few months, then pop back up again when it suits. But that’s not a friend you can rely on.
Though Vanfest's identity evolves each year, its style and type remain consistent. No matter where you see it – on a bus, billboard, phone, poster or wristband – it unfailingly looks the same, promoting trust through an instantly recognisable colour and style. In other words, it’s a brand who will always be there for festival goers, and subsequently, a brand they can rely on year to year.
Brand Honesty
Being an honest friend means a lot of things. Honesty is telling your mate when they have lipstick on their teeth, but it’s also advising them when they’re making a bad decision. Though being frank may feel like you’re taking a risk, consumers will always value you for it.
Going against the overwhelming focus on slim, young women in the beauty industry, Dove’s Real Beauty campaigns engage honesty as empowerment – showcasing women of all sizes, shapes, ages, abilities and nationalities. When you use a Dove product, you truly feel gorgeous, because Dove promotes the honest message that everyone is human, and everyone is beautiful.
Brand Kindness
Thankyou believes we can end global poverty in our lifetime. Since beginning with bottled water, they’ve branched into an offering of more than 55 products. Donating 100% of profits to the cause, it’s hard to find a brand that’s kinder than this one.
Because Thankyou has communicated its aim so clearly, consumers really feel like they’re making a difference – even by buying something as simple as hand wash. Though it’s important to note your brand doesn’t have to be a social enterprise to be kind, showing customers how your product enables them to do good enforces faith in your brand.
Brand Relevance
It’s likely you’ve heard of Hello Fresh; and that likelihood is down to the company’s relevance to the modern market. With many households occupied by time-poor, working people, it can be hard to factor in hours to plan, shop for and prepare healthy meals. That’s where Hello Fresh comes in.
Offering a range of portion sizes, delivery options and vegetarian solutions, Hello Fresh makes nutrition easy, affordable and delicious for customers. It knows and caters (mind the pun) to their needs, ensuring subscribers stay with the service for a long time.
Is your brand trying to establish lifelong relationships?
