Unlocking Brand Loyalty Through the Power of Friendship
Why some brands and experiences feel like a best friend, and how brands could build deeper loyalty by recognizing the passionate customers who love them.
I hope that everyone has at least one “best” friend—someone who is always there through both good times and bad, ready to listen, offer advice, and stand by you during challenging times. Best friends are like strong pillars, providing unwavering support and adding joy and fulfillment to life.
Many of us are fortunate to have bonded strongly over the years with several people who have become our best friends. Although communication with your old friends may have dwindled, reconnecting feels as if no time has passed, allowing you to pick up right where you left off.
It’s crucial to recognize that time isn’t a measure of true friendships. Rather, it’s the deep values, shared memories, understanding, and connections that bind us through time.
What if I told you that, for many people, certain brands, destinations, and experiences evoke feelings akin to those of a “best” friend?
Over time, many people develop a passion for specific brands and experiences. For example, an old friend whose husband often traveled found solace during lonely evenings in a glass of particular rosé and a cigarette, reminiscing about the time in the South of France. While some may find this sad, it misses the point. This isn’t about advocating drinking or smoking, but rather acknowledging how brands and experiences can evoke feelings of love and appreciation.
We all know someone who claims they can’t start their day without a cup of coffee from Nespresso, Starbucks, or Costa Coffee. The absence of these rituals often leaves us feeling miserable. Yes, some might argue that this is merely an addiction to nicotine and caffeine. While partly true, there’s also an undeniable link between brands and our feelings of comfort, nostalgia, friendship, passion, and love.
For instance, I cherish stays at the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts in Florence, Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong, and Los Angeles, and I recommend them highly. I also enjoy my morning Starbucks, a plain yogurt with Amarena cherries from Fabbri of Bologna, fresh herring at Stubbe’s in Haarlemmerstraat, Amsterdam, and the occasional spritz of Prada’s Perfume D’Iris. These are certainly luxuries, but these brands have become standout choices in my life. My grandmother’s favourite brands and experiences include her Gazelle bicycle, HEMA sausage, Douwe Egberts coffee, FC Groningen football club, Switzerland and Spain as the perfect holiday destinations.
Do these brands and experiences know about our passion and love for them? Of course not. Can we experience them every day? We try, but it’s not realistic. Yet when we do indulge, we truly love the experience and treasure the moments.
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If you’re unfamiliar with these brands or experiences, you might find this strange. But I bet you have your own set of brands and experiences that evoke similar emotions. If so, you can consider yourself an “SmartZup”, a consumer that is passionate or loves a specific brand or experience.
This is a one-sided relationship where the brand is unaware of its devoted “SmartZup.” The brand often takes this passion for granted, and the customer accepts this reality. Despite brands recognizing the value of loyalty through emails and offers, genuine personalization and recognition remain rare.
Companies often believe that more customers and more data is better. However, in friendship, and possibly for brands, quality might trump quantity. Not necessarily in terms of immediate revenue, I can hear you say, but perhaps we should consider it from a different perspective.
Having even one devoted “SmartZup” can be incredibly valuable to any brand and should not be overlooked. This value extends beyond spending and frequency of purchase, a SmartZup also advocates, has deep knowledge about the brand and knows what makes this brand special. For example, a SmartZup of Coca-Cola mentioned that ice cubes are key to the perfect Coke taste, questioning why Coca-Cola does not sell branded ice cubes, given they already own water brands like Dasani and Smartwater.
If the most passionate and loyal customers are not appreciated, what does that imply for the rest of the consumers? Imagine the potential if a brand had not just one, but hundreds, thousands, or even millions of such loyal SmartZups. These devoted “best friends” could offer a brand an extraordinary level of value that’s hard to quantify.
At SmartZup, we want to support both consumers and brands in recognizing and enhancing these relationships. If you have a “best” friend, be it a person, a destination, an experience, or a brand, tell us about it and join us on our journey of connecting you with your “friends”.
