The pitch: Brand loyalty is dead - long live The Brand

By PETER DOUGHTY*

Those of us old and lucky enough to have lived and worked in the 20th century witnessed development in industry, commerce, travel and telecommunications on a scale never seen before.

Even today, the pace seems to quicken and the mind boggles with the possibilities still to come from ideas yet to be thought up.

And yet some things never change.

Take the everyday postman. In 100 years he has gone from foot to a bicycle (and a fancy, three-colour uniform).

And yet, when you think about it, how can you improve and modernise this ancient art?

Sure we have emails, but it's not the same, is it?

Who would want to replace the air of expectancy and the thrill of anticipation as you wait by the letterbox for the regular-as-a-clock postie who's late for the first time in what seems an eternity?

Then suddenly, there he is, with a cheery "Good morning. How are we today?" as he glides up to your gate.

The dog wags his tail and gives the postie a familiar sniff as he greets an old friend.

Try and get your email to do that.

Which brings me to my point.

I see in his new book , Saatchi & Saatchi head Kevin Roberts has decreed that there is a higher level of brand status that goes by the name of Lovemarks.

Well, that's a quantum leap over the wisdom of the past 100 years, isn't it?

I wonder what they'll come up with next?

As an advertising man, I am a firm believer in most of the doctrines of the old profession, and particularly those of The Brand.

What a mighty weapon the brand can be. To be involved in building a brand must rank up there with the birth and development of a child who turns out to be a world leader.

Both need to be fed, nurtured, loved and protected.

Likewise, both are vulnerable to the existence of others and need to constantly watch their backs for the presence and growth of usurpers nipping at their heels and fighting for their share of the global cake.

So I go along with all things that proclaim the power of the brand.

Except one thing. I believe that brand loyalty no longer exists. It is dead and gone.

This once-important phenomenon has become obsolete over the past decade as consumers worldwide have, through circumstances beyond their control, given up loyalty to anything.

We must be realists and admit to the irrefutable fact that loyalty is only as thick as your pricing structure, your packaging, your promotions and your added values.

Change any one of those and loyalty goes out the window. Don't try and kid yourself otherwise.

A great parity exists in product performance these days, so why form an attachment with your favourite soap powder?

You may like it, you may prefer it, but if another brand is cheaper, then why not change, if only for this week?

It can't do any harm, can it?

I mean, if they were out of stock I wouldn't drive to another store, would I?

So marketers of the world, don't talk to me about brand loyalty.

It's like the dodo - dead.

Getting back to the postie, do you remember those vacuum tubes the old department stores used to have connecting each floor to the accounts department?

I suppose there could be a network of these connected to all households. Now there's an idea.

Then you wouldn't need any postmen. Or emails.

* Peter Doughty is a director of Doughty May and Partners, media agents and marketing and advertising consultants. You can contact his by email.

* The Pitch is a forum for those working in advertising, marketing, public relations and communications. We welcome lively and topical 500-word contributions.
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