The brand forgiveness factor: What’s your breaking point?

Since 1986, I’ve been a big fan of Apple. I fell in love with their very first iMac, seducing me with its futuristic aesthetic and colours. Even though their advertising did not fully reflect its less-than-impressive reality, I forgave Apple. 

Why do we continue to forgive brands that maybe not continually but form time to time let us down? How many times are you prepared to forgive them until they push you to your final breaking point?

A close call, I had a terrible Mercedes car. Everything was going wrong. The doors wouldn’t lock, the alarms would go off at random times, the telephone flipped out, the navigation didn’t work, and, worst of all, the car would go into emergency mode. When this particular Mercedes car went into emergency mode, it would slow down to 80km per hour, an extremely dangerous situation when driving in fast lanes like on the German highway.

I eventually found out that Mercedes knew about these issues (it was said due to interferences between two electrical circuits in the 2003-05 production), which only enraged me further. I wrote a letter to the dealership where I had bought the car: “I’m coming in half an hour and I will drive the car through the glass window into your showroom and then it is yours.” They immediately mailed back with apologies. At the end of the day, I stuck with Mercedes because they treated me right even through our tough conversations.

I changed my telecom provider three times cause of price only. It was amazing how little, next to nothing, effort was done to keep me in. Now I really do not care anymore. The price, for me, is the only differentiator so…sometimes you have to stick with the devil because that’s all you’ve got. 

That said, my “divorce” with Apple is imminent. Their products are getting ridiculous, their pricing is not in line with that they’re offering. Apple machines are no longer the special, mesmerising machines they once were; they are no longer an inspirational brand. And truth be told, I feel neglected by them. I feel like I have become a walking wallet for Apple.

The forgiveness factor (FGF)

If we could predict a customer’s breaking point – when it all goes wrong – we could measure a brand’s strength in loyalty. I’ve come to call this a brand’s “forgiveness factor” (FGF), an important indicator of the strength of a brand’s relationship with its customer. It might be just as telling as the NPS and other customer satisfaction measurements.

So, how do you determine a brand’s FGF? Here are a few things to consider:

• Free will? A strong brand is one whose customer has actively chosen to start a relationship with that brand. If a product is mandatory, like car insurance, and the market is purely price-driven, then where is the relationship?
• Big or small mistakes? Think about brands that disappoint you. Is it one big thing or a collection of small irritations that flip the scales? Look at so-called “love brands” like Netflix and IKEA. When do these brands deliver such disappointments that you decide to leave them?
• Deliberate mistakes? Starting in 1989, a big Dutch insurer sold people in the Netherlands worthless investment products – and they knew it. Imagine if you had your pension saved with them. Till this day a foundation of mislead customers is still operational.
• A love affair? Just as in a relationship, the initial magic at the beginning of a brand interaction often disappears after some time. As a fan or customer, you might get bored and “flirt” with other brands. Or one of your favoured brands might get involved with a third party you don’t approve of, like a hedge fund or company that buys the brand and turns it into something you don’t like.
• Friendship? I personally like this one. Amongst friends you’ll find resilience, fun, playfulness, loyalty, and the acceptance that things change over time. Friendship also means working on the relationship, the both of you. Reciprocity is the name of the game here. A brand like Patagonia does it for me. They very much give the impression that they put their money where their mouth is, being part of the world in more then the economic sense. I know other brands do to but they sort of sink in with my mindset, having a kind of dialogue. Let me frame it like this I get the feeling they talk with me instead of to me. As such they fit into my definition of deep branding.

The FGF is very much about the social intelligence of a brand or company. Just as in friendships and relationships, you simply “sense” when something has to be addressed. Brands almost never address their issues; they wait too long. A more social, proactive attitude would help keep the brand-customer relationship in good shape. The single focus on shareholders is a dangerous one, certainly when combined with Anglo-Saxon growth targets: your customers become anonymous walking wallets?

My tip for you: Have a chit chat with your customers on a regular basis. Have a bit of fun, discuss shortcomings, apologise, show that you care... If you really think about it, it’s not so difficult.

What’s your breaking point?

Our resilience is a very important indicator of a brand’s strength. For myself, Apple is in the danger zone. I’ve decided that my next phone will be a OnePlus; it has this punk attitude that originally came from Apple but, as I’ve described, Apple became much too greedy and mainstream.

Perhaps the more challenging question is: Is it possible to win back a customer’s forgiveness after they’ve decided to leave you? Do we need a ho'oponopono ritual in the field of branding?

Please share your own experiences with brand forgiveness! Which brands have brought you to your breaking point?

Dr Peter G de Boer

Copy: Sophie Poulsen