The Ultimate Brand Loyalty?

Are you an Apple person, or an Android person? Lotus or Ferrari? Boots or Superdrug? Sainsbury's or Waitrose?

Ask anybody questions like this and you'll usually get an emphatic answer in one direction or another. For decades, marketing research has been seeking out the answer to 'why people buy what they buy;' why they attach themselves to particular brands and then follow them with a seemingly unshakable loyalty.

What makes them queue up outside a shop overnight just to be the first to get their hands on a new product? What makes them drive miles out of their way to go to the shop of their choice rather than pop round the corner to a competitor? What makes them pay twice the price to wear the shirt with the right logo on it? What makes them so devoted to the product that they ‘become’ the product?

It's a fascinating topic.

Just imagine, though, what it would be like if your employees felt that way about your organisation.

What would it mean for recruitment if they were choosing you - and lining up at the door whenever there was a vacancy to fill?

What would it mean for your ability to deliver great products and services if every team was committed to delivering their very best for the customer?

What would it mean for innovation and growth if everyone was so excited about where the business was going that they were brimming over with energy and new ideas to do things better?

What would it mean for quality and productivity if people stayed longer and had so much more experience to offer?

This is the ultimate brand loyalty. The one that matters more than any other.

So, how do you translate the idea of brand loyalty into your organisation?

Start by looking at what others have done.

Take a look at any great organisation and you'll see a mix of people-centered incentives, clear and consistent values and a leadership team which connects to its people and constantly seeks to coach and support every individual to be their best.

In everything that do and say, they are their brand and that helps the whole organisation to become the brand too. They want to wear the branded t-shirt - outside work as well as in it. They want to give their best and be part of the team. They want to help others learn and grow and achieve what they want to achieve.

What do you do in your organisation to generate brand loyalty from your teams? What have you seen done elsewhere which has worked well? Share your experiences and join the debate?