When Customers Defend YOUR Brand

Random things sometimes drive unique thoughts. And so, here is a recent observation from some high school students. The story goes like this. A somewhat introverted student at one school was ridiculed by students at another school … claiming on social media that the student was uncool, awkward, and in so many words … generally a loser. When classmates learned of this digital “war of words”, they rallied to their friend’s defense, and, proactively and unprompted, started a social media campaign to build up the broader perception of their shy bookworm buddy. True story (kinda … changed it up a little …).

But here’s the point and context of the story … deeply loyal customers will actually defend your brand. That’s right. The most highly engaged customers will go to great lengths to establish YOUR brand’s credibility and ward off any “attacks” on the public perception of your brand. It’s uncanny to imagine, but there are instances where that happens every day. An airline … a favorite restaurant … a car enthusiast … even the preference of one brand of cola over another … deeply LOYAL customers are unwavering in their loyalty, and in the digital age, are quick to “carry the banner” of your brand’s values. And why does this happen? I suggest it’s a combination of pride combined with a personal attachment to the brand, almost as if the brand is “family”. And assuming you like your family members, you would likely defend their honor if they were wrongly characterized in the court of public opinion.

Like classmates coming to the aid of their friend, do your customers defend YOUR brand?Are they so loyal that they will engage in debate as to why YOUR brand is better. If that’s not the case with your customers, how do you get there? Deep brand loyalty takes time, but the value is far greater than what can be measured on a spreadsheet. Get BETTER with SFB … click here to learn more.