Bring Back The ‘Love Brands’

Richard Breitengraser (CEO, VOID International Media Group) is a global brand, content, video, marketing & strategy executive.

“Love brands” are like the holy grail for every marketing director. In the early 2000s, brand love was everywhere. Academics compared the relationships of customers to brands to family. There was talk of terms like “obsession,” “passion” or “intimacy” and conversations around marketing campaigns ended with totally infatuated brand lovers getting the logo of their favorite brand as a tattoo. But after the hype, the term “love brand” disappeared from the buzzword bingo of marketing departments.

I’m advocating for a renaissance of the love-brand approach because, in times of blind focus on reach, conversion rates or endless expansion, I advise companies to take a serious look at their own brand, especially with a view toward customer lifetime value. But what makes love brands so special? They represent the highest level of connection between brands and customers. Unlike reach or awareness, you can’t buy this status as a brand. It is the sum of all continuous marketing and branding activities. Think about Apple, Nutella, Harley Davidson or, most recently, Barbie—why do we feel so connected to these brands? And, from a business perspective, what are the benefits of being a love brand? Let’s take a closer look.

Emotions can turbocharge your sales.

According to Harvard Professor Gerald Zaltman’s research, 95% of our purchasing decisions are made subconsciously. Moreover, 75% of buying experiences are based on emotions. So when it comes to solidly building and continuously nurturing a love brand, the first lesson is that good branding never puts the product at the center. Rather, the focus should always be on the customer, the experience and the emotion. In addition, good branding should also always bring an incentive or added value to engage with the brand.

But how exactly do you convey these emotions in this complex marketing world? I recommend one of the superpowers for building and expanding brand-customer relationships: Create “money-can’t-buy” moments and experiences. Take, for example, Marriott Bonvoy, the loyalty program of the world’s largest hotel group. For the symbolic sum of one point, you can hang out with your favorite celebrity or attend the Australian Open final. These are the types of experiences that have a real bonding effect and can bring you closer to the status of a love brand.

Loyal customers often become brand activists.

Love brands are often protected by their fans, that become true brand activists. In times of brand crisis, they help fend off criticism. Consumers tend to also be more loyal to love brands and less easily poached by competitors. That is probably your greatest reward as a brand: Your customers become your strongest brand ambassadors. These brand activists enjoy the highest trust because the sender is not a brand or a paid influencer but a convinced customer.

Love brands also help to attract better employees in the war for talents. People want to work for brands with which they can identify. For this reason, brands that are loved tend to attract more qualified and motivated employees.

But remember that, unlike interpersonal love, the love between customer and brand is an absolutely selfish relationship. If no real added value is generated or a positive brand experience is created, love brand status cannot be achieved.

Video is key to storytelling.

In the age of social media, streaming and digital outdoor advertising, video is undoubtedly a powerful brand ambassador. In fact, in 2020, Cisco predicted that 82% of global internet traffic would come from video by 2022, and, on average, people watch 100 minutes of video content (paywall) every day. Video is everywhere, and, in my experience, no other branding tool is as influential. Funny videos amuse you, and informative videos can be interesting, but the videos that make a lasting impression have one thing in common: a powerful (brand) story. So, your first question must be: What is our story? When thinking about your video strategy, it’s also important to remember that you want to tell, not sell. Nowadays, videos have to be one thing above all: relevant. No relevance means no impact.

Most brands make the mistake of lumping videos for storytelling, branding, commercials and campaigns together as “video content.” With luck, you will achieve a short sugar-high reach. But I believe the main reason why many videos don’t perform is that companies use generic stock footage, stock music, ridiculously laughing protagonists, interchangeable and gimmicky drone shots or sterile glossy scenes, and then they think, “We tried it, but it was just expensive, and we didn’t see any effect.”A commercial that focuses on a product needs to be told completely differently than a campaign video for a specific promotion. On the other hand, the depth and look of a storytelling video need a diametrically different approach. So your task is championing your video content strategy to create relevant content that lasts longer than an Instagram story. Sustainable brand content is only possible through relevant storytelling, authenticity and modern imagery.

Keep all that in mind, and you’re probably getting pretty close to evangelism—the holy grail for brands. Brand evangelists want others to love the brands as much as they do because they believe the brands improve the lives of others, too. So, focus on developing a brand personality. A lot of money is spent on marketing and promotions, but I believe you should invest at least 30% of your annual budget into building, deepening and maintaining your brand personality.

Finally, remember that a popular brand is more than just a brand; it’s also a company you want to be proud of. So don’t forget to build the brand from the inside out.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?