Why you need to focus on brand love before brand need

How consumers feel about a brand, more than need, drives stronger engagement with marketing, according to new research.

Key figures

• Sixty percent of respondents in a study* by martech company Epsilon said they engage with a marketing message because they are “familiar with and like the brand”.
• Fifty-six percent said they interact because they want to know more about a new brand or product. 
• Just 37% of respondents indicated their engagement is driven by need.

Why it matters

“These findings remind marketers of the importance of creating relationships with consumers that are not just transactional, given ‘brand’ is the context in which all purchase decisions are made,” said Jeff Smith, chief marketing officer at Epsilon. 

“The implication is that marketers need to stop thinking of ‘branding’ or ‘performance’ as separate and disconnected initiatives. Effective marketing and media not only capture sales in the moment, but also build relationships with your brand that drive more purchases over time.”

The importance of personalisation

• Two-thirds of respondents said brands have become better at personalising advertising and marketing, but almost all see at least one irrelevant ad every day.
• Three-quarters of respondents said they view brands negatively when they include inaccurate information about them in their advertising and messaging.
• Less than half of respondents felt they have some control over how brands engage with them.

*The Push and Pull of Personalization is based on responses from 600 US consumers aged 18-65.

Sourced from Epsilon