An emotional bond between a brand and consumer has proven to create brand intimacy. Some brands are more dominating than the rest like Apple proved to be the most dominating brand based on emotions while Amazon and BMW ranked as second and third most intimate brands in the U.S.
Each brand caters with the emotions of the consumers which becomes the foremost reason why a consumer is attracted to a specific product in the first place. Brand intimacy is the new paradigm that strengthens the emotional bond between a product and its user. For strengthening your online presence in foreign markets, marketing localization services can be invaluable.
Is Brand Intimacy Important?
For business growth, it's an important factor. If a brand delivers superior results in revenue and profits it surely doesn't necessarily mean that the brand has an emotional attachment, other elements are involved too, like price, quality, and availability.
Every brand has a unique appeal and connection with the consumers. Their effectiveness reflects in consumer buying behavior. Brand intimacy is known to shape emotions and helps customers decide what to buy. So to answer the question, brand intimacy is important.
Do not confuse brand intimacy with brand loyalty. Brand loyalty is driven with loyalty programs, rewards, and any extra factor offered by the product whereas brand intimacy focuses on the intensity a customer feels towards a product.
Brand intimacy focuses on four major aspects of the product;
- Strategy
- Design
- Creativity
- Technology
Although it is an old strategy, techniques have improvised over time. For marketers, it is important to drive sales and effect purchase decision that ultimately connects a long-term bond with the consumer. Brand intimacy varies with industry, country, age, gender, and income. One brand popular in a specific region doesn’t necessarily mean it will show similar progress in another country.
Amazon is a great example, to begin with. As mentioned earlier, on an emotional scale Apple is ranked at the top but with years of insights and detailed focus on consumer’s buying power, Amazon outdid every other brand. It has built a strong portfolio and that’s how they achieved their goals and became a success.
Ways to Procure Brand Intimacy
Brand performance relies on brand intimacy. Several marketing localization services work in the background to ensure a brand's potential with localization and translation services. Although the use of linguists is common and effective there are other ways to ace brand intimacy like;
Emotional Stability
What is intimacy for a consumer? Consumers have spontaneous buying behavior. The rational purchasing decision is more reliable for brand loyalty but brand intimacy triggers impulsive buying behavior. Consumers are driven by the intensity of their emotions to buy a particular brand.
For instance, to attract consumers, Chevrolet created a family image and bonded on emotional terms to make their consumers feel comfortable. The loyal customers associate family values with Chevrolet. Cars are available within the budget (for a family), safe to drive, and cozy for long trips. For the automotive industry, Chevrolet is a proven example of brand intimacy. Besides, BMW resonates with high class and sleek style indicating its bonding with top tier customer who loves a car interior, looks for an excellent horsepower, and endurance worthy.
Nurture the relation between brand and customer
According to a brand intimacy report, certain factors create a strong bond between customers and brands like;
- Fulfilling expectations. Amazon is best known for its wide shopping experience and viewership at a global level. To localize its products, Amazon-affiliated with local suppliers and retailers to curate the products, localized and translated the product descriptions as well by acquiring marketing localization services who tailor the products according to customer’s expectations.
- An identity that resonates with customers. When you think of an apple, the iPhone comes to mind instead of the fruit. Apple has created a certain image in the customer's mind that cannot be persuaded. If you ask an iPhone user to switch to Android they will refuse. Why? Because Apple has a strong bond with its users as it has proved to deliver the quality product.
- Nostalgia, the memories associated with customers. Disney movies are engraved in the audience's mind since their childhood years. Your good memories are associated with the fantasy of princesses and castles. The idea of the damsel in distress like Snow-White converted into goal-driven and focused with modern characters like Moana and Merida. The shift in traditional princess stories with a modern-day concept was much appreciated by the audience.
- Ritual, how customary purchases are done in daily routine. During the pandemic, Netflix's subscription conversion boosted more than oil prices. Netflix congregates the algorithm of the user's preference and interest and recommends programs to watch accordingly.
Naturally, a customer feels pampered and affiliate with the product.
The transition from bonding to fusing
For creating brand intimacy, it is also important to foster the customer-brand relationship from bonding to fusion. These three stages are crucial to reciprocate the bond;
When a customer interacts with the brand for the first time, the sharing process begins; it's the attraction towards the brand. When customers accept the brand for personal use and refer it to a third party is when a bond is created. Fusion occurs when customers and brands merge. For instance, Nike is one of the success stories as it cultivated its way from sharing to bonding and then fusing. Nike won its customers’ trust with the shoe-size technology but only for members. It recommended the right shoe size for its customers.
With its proactive approach to political stances as well, it built the brand image with a sound mind and therefore, the bond with its customers became more profound.
Leverage the attraction
A brand with a global audience needs to make special efforts to retain the customers. It's important to focus on the core element that first became the reason for brand intimacy.
The deep emotional bond if exceeds the expectations only then a customer retains for the long-term. To leverage the attention, you need to create an environment in which you contribute more than what a customer expects originally.
The use of aspirational slogans, taglines, and especially endorsements comes handy. But foremost localizing the brand image is the first step to create leverage so never ignore it.
Final Thoughts
With high rise competitions, it's hard to retain brand intimacy, so it's vital to keep evolving practices to market the product and mature the brand like a fine wine. Keep the gratitude, special offers, and improvised customer care in check. For your 2020 strategy, invest with the right partners to create brand intimacy. Nurture your brand with a strong root.
Want to know how Mars Translation can help improve your brand intimacy with exceptional marketing localization services? Get in touch now!
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