how to inspire brand devotion (the toxic kind)

Spotify, play ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ by Olivia Newton John

It’s Valentine’s Day, yay! Whether you celebrate or not, it’s at least a topical excuse for us to talk about how brand’s build and deepen their relationships with their customers. Obviously, there isn’t just one way to do it, there’s lots of different tactics and usually the best and most effective strategy is a combination of many of them.

Here’s a few… (1) speaking with authenticity and relatability; (2) using emotional appeals and compelling narrative; (3) making your customers feel special with exclusive, loyalty programs; (4) taking a stand and advocating for your customers; (5) developing rich experiences that connect both online and off.

No doubt that these are great, noble and effective efforts but this lover’s holiday we’re feeling a little… risky. So instead of serving up the expected, we’re sharing our most toxic brand devotion tips… you know, those things brands do that make us feel like we’re in a messy relationship, but for whatever reason, we just don’t care… hell, they may even make us more devoted.

Love bombing… when you land on a website for the first time, sign-up for a new service, or just recently ended your brand relationship, you’re hit with all sorts of sexy offers and incentives. They reallllllly want you (or want you back). It’s hard to resist the 20% discount or the BOGO. The dopamine rush is real.

They give us a taste and then take it away… Whether it’s the McRib at McDonald’s or literally an entire app (TikTok) when we have something that’s just so perfect and then it’s taken away from us, we feel desperate to get it back. We think about it daily, ruminating in what once was, praying for its return… and then it does. And it feels so good to be back in the loving embrace of an old friend.

Making us feel special, but just “us”… not to be confused with loyalty programs, this experience is bigly different. Think about the credit card experiences and lounges offered at airports and festivals. They’re billed as these exclusive environments only for card holders, and then you get in there and you can’t move. Or you walk by and the line is snaking around the building. They made it seem like we had a committed relationship, it was just them and me… and now I see that was a lie. But maybe one day… it’ll be just us. I’ll stay hoping.

We just want to fix them… everyone loves a bad boy, I mean brand. But some brands take it too far. But that’s exactly why some customers just can’t quit them. They love the drama. Controversial figures/brands like Kanye West, Dolce & Gabbana, Abercrombie & Fitch have their ardent supporters even though they have their very unfavorable reputations. Their customers are waiting for the turnaround, the redemption, but more often-than-not it doesn’t come. Ride-or-dies for life.

Unpredictable, emotional rollercoaster to keep us engaged…. it’s the really high-highs and the really low-lows that keep us entertained and coming back again and again. Some of the biggest brands in the world (like Nike, Tesla, McDonald’s) are constantly making big moves in their branding, products, marketing, user experiences… some pay-off and some don’t. But we appreciate them for their big swings and their dedication to pushing boundaries. We’re always excited about they have coming but not always happy with the result, but nevertheless we’re hooked, waiting to see what else they got for us.

Making us feel lucky to have them - nothing says luxury brand like the feeling, do they even want ME buying their product? Luxury brands have built an entire industry on the perception that some people are just better than others and if you don’t feel like you deserve to own their product, you probably don’t. Really, they’re blessing US with the privilege to spend our money on their products. Thank you, sweet luxury brand, thank you.

Grand gestures after messing up… ever had a horrible experience at a store, you complain and then you get some free product or gift cards? Some seem to make this a full time job, getting those perks up. Brands don’t want to lose customers so they do just about anything (within corporate reason) to make it right, keeping you sucked in even when you feel wronged. But that $50 gift card sure does make your memory a little foggier and that issue a little less salient. And maybe next time (because they WILL mess up again), the sorry gifts will be even more extravagant.

Brands often have us questioning “they love me, they love me not” and this V Day, we’re celebrating that that may not always be the healthiest for us, but it sure feels good anyway.