20 May 2011

Brand Loyal Anyone?

Loyalty is a virtue; no questions asked or doubts raised there. Human bonds are held together by the tender glue of fidelity. What’s a man who is not faithful to his partner or a son not devoted to the family that raised him? But loyalty to brands – is that a virtue? Well, not anymore, I should say.

There was a time when an entire family used the same brand of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, hair oil, & toothbrush. Rexona, Chik, Lifebuoy, Surf, Medicare, Parachute were not brands, they were family! We continued to use them, from the time we learnt to wash ourselves, to the time we got married or got jobs, whichever came first. Once your father made up his mind about a product, the product stayed with you for life.
In fact, if my parents were alive, you’d still find them using Colgate (recommended by the Dental Association). However, jobs opened the world of ‘choice’. It meant we’d try Close-Up or Ultra-Doux or Dabur Almond Oil or whatever else caught our fancy.

Now, when Sathya & I, do our monthly shopping at Spar, we are spoilt for choice. Shall we use Park Avenue this time instead of Lux? Shall I try Dove soap? I find the shampoo is great. No, I’ll pass Dove. Let me try the fancy new tea oil herbal soap.
Can we club 1 trial pack of Adidas deodorant with the 3 regular Axes? Hey what about detergent? Which one this time – the one with 50gm more or the other with a scratch card? The question always is: What’s more VFM (value for money), especially when the quality is same? What’s the harm in trying anyways? It might be good, for all you know. The only thing I am loyal to these days turns out to be the humble coconut. No negotiations there. Pick the one you lay your hands on, shake it near your ears (that’s how generations of humans choose their coconuts!) & get going.

The endearing form of loyalty existing today is the emotional one: the undying connect some brands have with their customers. Maggi Noodles, for instance. I’ve been using it since 2000. TEN years on & I still haven’t switched my loyalties to any other brand. In fact, I’ve added one more loyal consumer to Maggi’s story: my daughter. However, this is an exception.


The fact is there’s no blind loyalty to any brand today. Especially in sectors like FMCG, apparel, broadband, cosmetics & mobile handsets. Look at handsets. They’ve such a short life, thanks to those who want to constantly experiment, experience new features & explore fresh ideas – be it the touch screen or a new version of an operating system or an upgraded model of an existing phone. And whoever is loyal to phone companies & airlines as they are not even loyal to you? With them it’s always “Conditions Apply”.

Interestingly, brands know they cannot expect consumer loyalty anymore. They know they have to relentlessly prove themselves or find themselves replaced. After all, what we think today about a certain product could later be updated, upgraded or revised – whether it’s in the pricing, features, accessories, look, packaging or even the main characteristic of the product on offer. It’s a fascinating new world for the consumer. I am NOT complaining.

13 comments:

  1. Sujatha, very interesting observation. Guess yours is an isolated (again, due to job) family and hence you have the crazy freedom of choice!

    When me and my wife get out for shopping, you know, we have no scope for experimentation as the producer has. Am sure my Mom still won't accept Mr.Muscle in place of Sabina. And, my Dad chose good old Bata as against Khadim :o)

    ReplyDelete
  2. exactly Prashanth...same would have been with my parents too ...
    like i wrote, ""if my parents were alive, they'd still be using colgate!"""

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love Blogs for these wonderfull things you get to observe, Good topic chosen Sujatha...

    Seriously same with my parents too they never would want to change their Brand :D

    ;) will start following you from now on... oops not the brand its the blog ;)

    keep writting :D I mean think out loud :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Ramya, welcome to my blog & thanks for your comments.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi sujatha!

    I came across ur space but did not go thru ur posts as I was lil busy at that time...

    Now that I came back here to go thru ur thoughts..I enjoyed..really this pos tis an interesting thing...
    Hehe you know..just 2 days back..I had a convo with dad...I say to change the brand of his shoes from Bata..but he won't and reg Colgate too..Humm...very loyal to them:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I liked the way you've described each of those commodities and the art of chosing them from the available variety. Especially for the supermarkets up and running this generation finding all under one roof the process gets better.However certain brands due to the tastes and liking we never tend to change. This post was very interesting. Love to come back and read more.

    ReplyDelete
  7. hello Gowthami & Ashwini, thanks for your comments and welcome to my blog

    ReplyDelete
  8. Interesting Observation. Amazing Read.
    ps. I still love Maggi too! :P

    ReplyDelete
  9. @Aman: thank you. & same pinch! maggi wali kahani :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very interesting topic and some very nice observations too. Most of the times we tend to overlook such minor things like which shampoo or which toothpaste we are using. Come to think of it I don't think I am loyal to any brand. I don't really get excited about wearing 'branded' clothes or shoes or any such things. I'm not too materialistic in that sense, in fact my mom or bro do the shopping for me and most of the times I don't know which brand of Jeans I'm wearing. But it should always be black. :D

    But really nice point about our elders sticking to the brands they were always using. 'Value for money' and 'going with the flow' is the mantra these days I guess. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hehe black obsession haan! i found that very interesting that you don't shop for your stuff, your bro/mother do that for you...hmmm

      Delete
  11. very intresting topic. its in a way good as companys dont take it for granted and are on their toes to retain consumers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. exactly! companies are wooing customers like never before! we as consumers have definitely stood in gain

      Delete