Brand Loyalty

"Dem tek I fe fool! Is tief dem a try tief me!" or rather "Dem fellas trying ta rob me like dem think I is a piece poppit ya!"

But lets go back to the start.

Everything these days is brand loyalty. Big Business hits on a successful brand and they start to proliferate the market with other items or services from that brand thinking rather rightly that we will trust the name that we know because stupid we think well if a fella can make a good motorcycle chances are he know something about making a decent DVD player or if he can make a good chocolate bar he might also make a mean salad dressing or rice crispie square or something so. Brand proliferation. Its all the rage now which is why certain brand names once well known in only one area are not now only synonymous with that area. Corporations have seen the future and diversification on the basis of brand loyalty is the way to go.

Make it so number one!

They pull us in hook, line and sinker with that plot.

Now that was just the sellers of retail products that I was talking about but what about the service guys? Same damn thing! Check the scenario. Cable company selling internet service, selling cell phone service selling this that and the third. Phone man now selling cell phone and getting into television services. Bank selling insurance and blah blah blah. Newspaper man now probably trying to sell something other than newspaper too. Everyone selling more than one product. Its the nature of the beast in this world these days I guess.

But one thing I never really understood in the marketing scheme of things with these companies. Just one thing.

They bring you in, sell you on their product with special deals but once they have you all deals off. Literally! What gives?

Actually now that I've written that I guess maybe I do understand it now that I think about it. Its the fishing ploy or even the classic drug dealer play. Get the mark hooked with free or cheap product and get them strung out for life then jack up the price and you have them where you want them. Interesting marketing scheme. Effective though.

that's why newspapers will offer you special deals to sign up for a subscription for the first 16 weeks and then after that they want you to continue at the regular price. Or that's why certain banks will offer ipods to people that transfer chequing accounts, siphoning off customers from the competition. And that's why cell companies will make it cheaper for new customers to get a new phone than loyal customers who've been with them for years. They figure once they have you, their product is so addictive you wont leave.

But they never thought that a fella that was with their bank from the start might want an iPod too? What about the loyal newspaper subscriber who's kept their declining circulation from hitting rock bottom over the years. Ya never think a man might want a new phone if he stays with your service? Damn! What no perks for loyalty? that's cold son!

Its like a whole modern age prodigal son saga. The Johnny come lately, the rogue, the runaway gets all the benefits and the loyal, stand up, stick with you through thick and thin guy gets the shaft, and in this case its not even like the bible story cause there is no equivalent to the Prodigal son's father telling the other son "well son all I have is yours when I die so don't fret yaself too much today". Nope nothing so to satiate the loyal customers. Its sorry you just don't get the perks now or anytime in the future you loser!

How did loyalty end up being something that you lose perks for anyways? What kind of world do we live in.

I guess it works. We're either too lazy or too lackadaisical or too accepting that that's how its supposed to be.

Well like I said at the start. "Dem a tek I fe fool! Is tief dem a try tief me!" or rather "Dem fellas trying ta rob me like dem think I is a piece poppit ya!" Well Jdid mudda aint raise no idiot. Let me tell you that plain an simple! I not letting that happen. What's the point of loyalty if they're trying to play you? For me its all about getting the best deal. Forget (and throw in some other f words if ya feel like too) brand loyalty!