Getting Sticky | Emotional attachment and profitable customer relationships
Roger Sant
Brand managers want emotionally attached customers ! They know intuitively that an emotional connection is a ‘ higher level ’ of relationship ; it equates to more valuable customers – customers who stay longer , spend more and recommend the brand to others .
An individual ’ s emotional connection to a brand undeniably plays an important role in their engagement and loyalty . But is it possible to measure ‘ pure ’ emotions using rational questions ? By their nature , emotions are not things that one can rationalise ( thus the need for pulse / heart-rate , sweat , caps to measure brain activity etc ). Perhaps a more pertinent question is : Can we construct an emotional framework ( via quantitative questions ) that adds valuable insight to our clients ? And the answer is YES !
Ipsos Loyalty has proved that there is value in trying to ‘ rationally ’ measure the level of emotional connection . Associating brands with emotional words such as pride , care and forgiveness clearly identifies a relationship state above and beyond ‘ merely satisfied ’.
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