Marketing Communications

58 CHAPTER 2 BRANDING

possible are satisfi ed, committed buyers. Not only will committed buyers repurchase the brand,

but also they will actively promote your brand to others and function as real ambassadors.

Striving for customer loyalty is also a cost-saving strategy. Research indicates that the cost of

attracting new customers can be as much as six times greater than the cost of retaining exist-

ing customers.^70 One way to retain loyal customers and committed buyers is to address

marketing programmes in such a way that consumers are off ered an experience instead of a

product. For example, marketers and consumers can jointly build brand communities where

brand experiences can be built and/or shared. A brand community is ‘a specialised, non-

geographically bound community, based on a structured set of social relationships among

users of a brand’.^71 Jeep, for example, organises brand fests such as Jeep Jamborees (regional

rallies focusing on off -road trail driving), Camp Jeep (national rally off ering lifestyle and

product-related activities) and Jeep 101 (off -road driving course), all attracting a wide range

of Jeep owners and their friends. Even Jeep owners who come to the event with a feeling

of being diff erent from the others seem to leave the event believing they belong to a broader

community. Brand communities also exist for Harley-Davidson (Harley Owner Groups,

HOGs) and Apple. By managing their communities in the right way, companies can build

fi erce loyalty, enhance marketing effi ciency and increase their brand’s equity.^72 C e r t a i n l y ,

customers who feel they belong to a brand community will remain brand loyal. Moreover,

the experiences gathered by means of the brand community increase word of mouth, leading

to many friends also buying the brand.

Benefits of branding

Strong brands have a number of benefi ts for the company, the retailer and the consumer.^73

Strong brands help the consumer to locate and identify products and evaluate their quality.

Th is makes it easier for the consumer to develop attitudes and expectations. A brand name

serves as a shorthand label for a large bundle of associations and the whole brand personality.

Figure 2.5 The loyalty pyramid

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