Have you ever thought what makes a brand, a people’s favourite brand? What factors are responsible for a brand to earn the loyalty of their target audience? Apart from the basic features and usage of the product, what more does one search for, wish for when they buy a particular brand?
 
To understand this we conducted a very basic survey by asking people two simple questions. What is your favourite brand? And why? As the results started pouring in, we found there were many common themes emerging out of people’s experiences, desires and expectations from their favourite brands. Not in any particular order, these were some of the top 10 considerations that brand leaders need to take into account while drafting their future brand strategies.

1. Simplicity: “It should be as simple as it gets. I am always on a look out for things that are most simple and consistent”. Simplicity also includes availability of the products and services where and when needed, flexibility of obtaining and using and quick, effective and responsive customer service. Google and Tesco were mentioned.
2. Intuitiveness: “Listens to me, understands me and understands my needs. It always has what I need, when I need. Sometimes when even I don’t know I needed it”. Brands that are intuitive and go an extra mile for its customers. Amazon and Marriott were mentioned in this category.
3. Quality: For some people quality matters and nothing else does. They never compromise on quality and are always on a hunt of best quality and value for their money. These people are / could be great brand advocates and brand ambassadors in future. Nokia, Intel and Fed-ex were mentioned.
4. Innovation: Young, dynamic millennial are always looking for something new. They are loyal to the brands that satisfy their hunger for continuous innovation. Innovation may not be always technological, it can also be process or service innovation. Sony PlayStation and Southwest Airlines were mentioned.
5. Aspiration: Aspiration brings out the most aggressive loyalty out of the target audience. The brand becomes aspirational because, either it has stuck a cord within the people through its emotionally driven ad campaign, or come up with a unique first of a kind offering, or is trending and there is a fear of missing out. Apple, Coca Cola were some examples mentioned.
6. Integrity: Brand with total trust. These people value the brand they can trust and rely upon. They always know that it will never let them down. If their trust it shaken they will never go back to that brand. Kellogg’s and Toyota fall under this category.
7. Purposeful: This small segment of target audience goes beyond and tries to understand what are the values that a particular brand represents. “Do these values align with my own values” - like organic ingredients, local produce, fair trade, seen as socially responsible in society etc. They want to be associated with brands that are more purposeful and have shared values. Tesla, The Body Shop and Dove were mentioned.
8. Representation: “This brand is a perfect expression of who I am. It represents me and makes me feel good about myself”. This trait is mostly seen in lifestyle brands where either people feel that their personal reputation depends on what brands they use or they want position themselves in a particular light. Zara, Rolex and Mini Cooper were mentioned.
9. Inclusivity: “Makes me feel like part of a community.” Man is a social animal and they always find a need to be associated with some or the other social circle. Brands provide them that platform and a comfortable niche. They feel inspired by this association. Nike Fuel band, Harley Davidson was mentioned.
10. Experience: Most often people don’t realise but they are loyal towards some brand because they crave for the overall experience that a brand offers. Brand experience is still a new concept therefore it was not articulated very precisely, but they did talk about end-to-end experience that their favourite brand offers. Heineken, Disneyland fall into this category.