This morning I was reading an article by Marian Salzman, the lady who popularised the term Metrosexual.
The new word doing the rounds - "Brand Sluts". A slut, as we understand, is someone who changes her sexual partners constantly with little "loyalty". A brand slut does something quite similar. (S)He changes brands at quite the same pace as a slut changes partners.
I have often wondered, when people talk brand loyalty, whether it does really exist. This article only made my doubt about its existence even stronger. How could a consumer be Brand Loyal when there is a slew of brands available to him/ her today. There is so much choice in terms of product offering, price and promotions. Why on earth would anyone exercise Brand Loyalty ? While in India there were close to ~15,000 brands in the late 1990s, today there are atleast over 1,00,000 of them.
Infact I remember whilst I worked at one of the firms, Loyalty was defined as willingness to repurchase or use more or recommend strongly a particular brand. Does it really work that way? If I decide to purchase an LG refrigerator primarily because the Company has a promotional offer which will help me exchange my older LG refrigerator for a newer LG one, then is it because I am Brand loyal ? or is it simply because of the promo offer ?
As Jean Noel Kaepferer writes in a Business Journal "Brand Loyalty can no longer exist because the very intrinsic nature of the definition of the term is contradictory to the actual relationship between the producer and consumer. Brand loyalty implies a type of matrimonial relationship based on EXCLUSIVITY and this relationship is impossible because the producer does not reciprocate the relationship" and our society is premised upon fluidity of choices.
People in the pro Brand loyalty camp would argue that it is not JUST the product offering, price, promo offer that matter....it is the experience...with the brand, the people servicing the consumer.
It is easier to believe the first theory than the next. Don't you think ?
