HOW BRAND ENGAGEMENT LEADS TO BRAND LOYALTY

WOULD YOU RATHER STAND ON THE SIDELINES OR BE PART OF THE GAME? WOULD YOU RATHER SHARE YOUR OWN STORY OR SOMEONE ELSE’S?

When you ask yourself these questions, look at it from the perspective of a brand and a consumer.

Consumers are more inclined to purchase a product if they had some kind of input. Take for example Lay’s Potato Chips. Since 2012, Lay’s has created an annual contest, which lets the consumers create their own chip flavour, and then lets people vote for their favourites. The top three flavor creators win a cash prize as well as have their flavour become an actual Lay’s product.

The contest has made the consumer more involved in the development of the Lay’s brand, and the outcome has been a rise in brand awareness through a wider group of consumers who participated in the contest, whether they created or voted for a flavour.

By handing over some creative input, Lay’s has been successful in attracting a larger audience towards their brand and has received positive feedback for their commitment to brand engagement.

Another way brands have increased awareness for their organisation and products, is through social activism. Social activism is considered a movement, and may just be the ultimate example of engagement.

In 2015, Always, a feminine hygiene brand owned by Proctor & Gamble, created a campaign, which had people rethink the term “Like a girl.” The campaign launched with a Super Bowl ad, that ended with a call to action stating, “Let’s make #likeagirl mean amazing things.” This had created a national movement with 177,000 people, including celebrities and public figures, tweeting #likeagirl in the first three months after the campaign launched. Overall, the campaign created a 50% growth in Always’ product purchase and had raised the brand awareness through a positive campaign, which continuously ran with the help of consumer’s social media activity. 

Today with the help of social media, it’s now even easier for brands to get consumers more involved in a campaign. Sharing, posting, commenting, liking, these are just some of the simple everyday features brands can take advantage of on social media to get consumers more active with a brand.

So when developing a brand or campaign, consider giving the consumer a voice. Whether it’s through a contest, a social movement, or commenting on a link, once consumers feel more involved, they become more inclined in using, purchasing, or associating with a brand they can consider themselves to be a part of. 

By Avishag Ben-Aharon 

Marketing Assistant