This may be hard to digest for a brand manager, but for everyone with an iota of customer centricity, it should be intuitive. Of all the things people care about, including family, health, money, shelter, food, music, politics… brands come in very, very far down that list.
But don’t take it from me: Romaniuk/Sharp (2008) found that 80% of a brand’s users know little or nothing about it. Or in other words: They just don’t care that much about your brand. And because the other 20% of users likely won’t make 80% of your business, this is a consequential ‘brutal truth’ for marketing- and brand managers.
But what about those 20% of users who are more involved with and knowledgeable about your brand? Well, they are likely heavy category users, and thus highly promiscuous. And even those whose bills are directly or indirectly paid by your brand (employees, affiliates, influencers, interest groups etc.) are not large enough segments to meaningfully impact your brand’s growth trajectory.
Tough Love.
