Strong relationships are important for everyone, including brands. Strong relationship between brands and consumers result in greater engagement and satisfaction with the brand. Consumers also see the brand's identity as part of their own identity. Such a strong relationship leads to greater loyalty. It is logical that marketers find this so important.
HUMAN-LIKE BRANDS
To make people more attracted to brands, marketers like to give a brand a human-like image. Two such human-like characters dominate the marketing landscape. There is the "sincere" brand that exudes down-to-earthness, friendliness, warmth, and trust. Examples of such brands are KLM, Coca-Cola, and Dove. There is also the exciting brand that looks unique, attracts a lot of attention, and exudes energy and youthfulness. Tele2, Snapchat, and Red Bull are examples. An interesting question is what influence these characters have on forming a relationship with the consumer. And what this means for the expectations of the relationship.
FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN AND BRAND
Research shows that brands with a sincere image build a stronger relationship with consumers than brands with an exciting image. You can compare the relationship to a close friendship between two people. The relationship that an exciting brand builds seems more like a superficial friendship or a good acquaintance. It is a good choice to build a sincere brand. This is the key to loyalty. But wait, a close friendship has different rules/expectations than a superficial friendship. A close friendship is based on deep trust. When something unacceptable happens, it can be fatal for the friendship. The deeper the relationship, the more damage can be done. So you probably find it worse if you find out that your best friend is stealing money from you than if you find out that your colleague is doing it. How does this work with brands? It works exactly the same way. Research shows that when a sincere brand makes a mistake, the relationship is more damaged than with an exciting brand.
NOT SEEMING SINCERE, BUT BEING SINCERE
What should a sincere brand do now? Never make a mistake again? That seems impossible. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. And now that consumers can share all their knowledge about "real" and "not real" via the internet, brand mistakes always come to light. I think we can find the solution in being authentic. Being authentic means being true to yourself and being who you say you are to others. It has a huge attraction to people. Being authentic means that you prevent a mistake sooner. After all, you keep yourself doing what you say is real. This way, you keep your promises. So, a sincere brand, which consumers see as trustworthy, not only appears credible on the outside, but is also credible! No sugar coated bullshit! Don't seem sincere, be sincere.
SHARING EXPECTATIONS
Being authentic also means sharing your intentions with the world. By doing that, people can see if you do what you say. When speaking those intentions, you can also honestly say that not everything will go well. This way, you manage consumer expectations, and if something goes wrong, you will be less blamed for it. After all, you warned that it could happen.
BEING VULNERABLE
Authenticity, being true to yourself, also means having the courage to be imperfect. Nobody is perfect, including brands. Being true to who you really are means showing this vulnerable side. That means you can make mistakes and admit them. As a brand, you should not bury your head in the sand, but say, "We made a mistake. We're sorry. We'll fix it!" The beauty is that this vulnerability also creates connection. Making a mistake can happen to the best of us; the art is how you deal with it. Be open and honest.
AUTHENTICITY WORKS
And what about exciting brands? How can they build a stronger relationship? I think authenticity can help here too because it has such a strong attraction to consumers. By speaking your intentions and following through, you show good qualities that help the relationship grow. An example is Apple, which has strong relationships with its customers. It is definitely an exciting brand, but also an authentic brand.
In short, marketers are always looking for a strong relationship between brand and consumer. A brand with a sincere image is a good candidate for this. Just be careful not to make mistakes. Being authentic can help you with this. By being authentic, you not only appear sincere on the outside, but you really are perceived as sincere!
Based on: Aaker, J., Fournier, S., & Brasel, S. A. (2004). When good brands do bad. Journal of Consumer research, 31(1), 1-16.