If you’re looking for a great business book, I highly recommend Married to the Brand: Why Consumers Bond with Some Brands for Life by Bill McEwen, Gallup Press. And here’s why.
Insightful
What’s different about this book is that it looks at the emotional connections consumers have with brands from the consumer’s perspective. McEwen uses the dating-courtship-marriage metaphor effectively without being overly schmaltzy. He also shares the metrics used to measure both the rational & emotional aspects of “customer engagement.”
The building blocks of brand attachment leading to this type of engagement are based on:
- “Confidence” – the degree to which consumers believe a company will deliver on its brand promise
- “Integrity” – the degree to which consumers believe a company stands behind its brand and how it treats customers, especially when there are problems with the firm’s product or service
- “Pride” – the extent to which consumers feel good about their use of and/or association with a brand
- “Passion” – the extent to which consumers love (rather than like) a brand.
Making the Case
McEwen draws on extensive Gallup research across a broad range of industries to demonstrate the profitable “payoff of customer engagement.” The research reinforces the importance of employees who create customer-brand relationships leading to engagement – or disengagement.
According to McEwen: “When it comes to building customer connections, it matters greatly how well the company’s employees are managed … Engaged employees contribute more. They stay longer, and they’re more productive. And, of critical importance, they also promote stronger and longer-lasting customer relationships. Simply put, engaged employees help to produce engage customers.”
Here’s to a long & healthy relationship!
A good read
Well written, Married to the Brand provides substantive content that can easily be read in one or two sittings — my kind of book. And one you’ll want to add to your business library.