Customer Loyalty, Design Strategies

The power of music is undeniable; the loyalty showered upon those who create it, unmatched; and the lessons for corporate America, boundless.

It is difficult to think of any product or industry that evokes more emotional intensity from its followers than rock and roll.

Their attitudes and behavior shatter the traditional measures of customer loyalty in terms of reach, quantity, and degree to define outright fanaticism-the ultimate level of devotion a firm can hope to receive from its customers.

What is it about music and rock stars that transform people’s emotions, behavior, and lives? Enlightened marketers have asked the question, but few have ever bothered to look for the answers. Yet corporate executives sit day after day scratching their heads, looking for insight as to how their brands might inspire even a fraction of such emotional response, loyalty, and commitment. They benchmark the success of others; analyze what promotional and design strategies have worked in the past; and review their advertising and promotional campaigns.

And while marketers have been proficient in analyzing how to create successful brands and satisfy customers, most of their strategies mirror those that other businesses have already implemented.

But what of the companies looking to go one better than what other businesses have been able to accomplish in the battle for customer loyalty? Creating such a breakthrough often requires a bold leap out of one’s comfort zone and into the unknown. Only then can marketers identify the processes and strategies that, when applied to the business world, can provide a leg up on their competitors.