Brands are created in the customers’ minds. For every product or service that she needs, the customer has a place, a position or an invisible slot in her mind. Generally, that slot is occupied by one or more brands. With each brand, the customer has a relationship. Generally, the depth of that relationship is based on the level of trust that the brand has developed in her mind.
The relationship between the brand and the customer starts when the customer chooses the brand for the first time, with a hope that the brand will truly perform as per the promises it has made. If the brand performs as per the promises, customer will have a positive experience and trust will begin to develop.
If the brand continues to perform as per its promise, the trust deepens and the relationship becomes stronger. In that case, the customer does not let any other brand take that position. As the number of such strongly connected, loyal customers increases, the brand becomes more and more formidable.
If, on the other hand, the performance of the brand does not match the promises it made, the customer may choose the brand for some time until some other alternative is available. As soon as a new alternative is found, the customer will switch to the other brand.
So, brand building is based on the level to which the customer’s experiences match the promises the brand makes.
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