I recently stumbled upon the article, “Consumers choose brands like they do people” on The Wise Marketer, one of my favorite websites to visit (subscription required). The article gave an overview of a recent research study that found compelling new evidence that consumers judge and behave toward brands in much the same way they do toward other people and social groups. This research was conducted by the Relational Capital Group (RCG), Princeton University, and the University of Louvain.
The Relational Capital Group in collaboration with world renowned social psychologists Dr. Susan T. Fiske and Dr. Nicolas O. Kervyn of Princeton University conducted a series of research studies with over 5,000 U.S. adults and 41 leading brands. They found that customers not only perceive companies and brands in the same way that they do people, assessing them for warmth and competence, but also that these assessments strongly influence purchase interest and loyalty behavior.
The full white paper, “Brands are People Too” which can be found on The Relation Capital Group’s Website, summarizes the key findings of this research and highlights 5 new ways to build stronger customer loyalty, which include:
- Demonstrate Worthy Intentions
- Put a Human Face on Your Brand
- Develop Your Brand Biography
- Leverage Social Networks to Engage With Customers Directly
- Empower Employees to Foster Brand Relationships With Customers
