Totally devoted to you – three steps to creating brand devotion

March 2018

The philosophy we have at Purity is single minded – create brand experience campaigns that capture consumer attention. Convert this attention to build consumer brand devotion for our clients.

What sits behind this – what does brand devotion mean to us? In an increasingly competitive and connected world with consumers offered more choice than ever and access to information, alternatives and opinions available at our fingertips, what does it mean to be devoted and how do we create campaigns to deliver this?

Brands need fans, followers, enthusiasts, loyalists and advocates to not only survive, but to thrive. To spread their message across the globe and in doing so attract the same to the ‘inner circle’. The ability to not only change but maintain consumer purchasing behaviour has never been more imperative.

Brand devotees become influencers, turning casual browsers into ardent buyers and so the cycle continues. Pine and Gilmore in the Experience Economy[1], point to the four ‘realms of experience’ – entertainment, education, escape and aestheticism and the interdependent way in which they form uniquely personal experiences. Understanding not only this, but the relative levels of participation and immersion that individuals can access through an experience is fundamental to creating, and delivering, successful experiential marketing campaigns.

Creating brand devotion doesn’t happen overnight

All stakeholders must recognise that brand devotion happens over time. We work closely with clients to educate them on the approach needed to build trust, rapport and ongoing relationship between brands and their consumers. A carefully crafted approach towards engendering ongoing, positive customer and brand experience is required across all touchpoints. Brand experience strategy must reflect the purpose and mission of the brand whilst a collective understanding and assessment of the KPI’s is fundamental.

Me, myself and I

Brand experience has always offered the purest form of marketing communication. An opportunity to create genuine, personalised interaction and dialogue between a brand and an individual. Where current consumer behaviour means that media consumption is progressively fragmented, the chance for one-to-one engagement is invaluable. Interaction must be personalised, not preordained. Qualifying the consumer’s views or experience on the brand and moreover opportunities for the future must be undertaken. Revisiting those realms of experience and allowing for education, entertainment and escapism should always be front of mind as should the consideration that all consumers, as individuals will want to engage in different ways at different times.

Keeping it real

Just as brand devotion doesn’t happen instantly, it should be appreciated that it also isn’t bought or acquired. It can only be earned and should happen organically. Brand experience can not only facilitate this but accelerate this through sound strategic and creative conceptualisation and implementation. As much as possible brands should promote their provenance that will resonate with consumers. Tell stories and make sure those stories are authentic and connect with consumers. Immerse the consumer in the brand but whatever you do don’t make those stories contrived.

Creating brand devotion is more than a strapline to us at Purity, it’s an ethos that runs through the heart of all we create for our clients.