The Truth About Brand Loyalty: My Love Is Undying Until It Dies

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Welcome to Marketing 101. Today: Brand loyalty.

Polk finally gives an answer to a question that had given mankind sleepless nights, for als long as since the invention of the wheel: Why do customers stay loyal to their car brand? Really: Why in God’s name? Truth be told, Polk only asked why owners of luxury vehicles return to their dealer to buy again. Instead of, say, emigrating to North Korea. Or joining the witness protection program. The study produced shocking revelations.

The majority of the respondents sticks with the brand because they like it. A whopping 44 percent said they buy again due to undying brand affinity.

Other criteria take a back seat, says the study.

Quality/reliability? A minor matter, cited only by 33 percent.

Driving performance? Not really important. Only 24 percent come back because the old car performed.

Price? Finance? Value? Who needs it? Only 16 percent do.

Styling and design? As unimportant as money. Only 16 percent are swayed by beauty.

Apparently, this was a multiple choice study. Now before carmakers around the world punch the air and yell “I’ve said it all along! It’s the brand, stupid!” let’s investigate why people abandon their beloved brand when they abandon their beloved brand.

#1 reason: I got a better deal.

#2 reason: The other car looks better

#3 reason: I like the other brand better

#4 reason: Time for a change

#5 reason: Better performance, better design

Here is the final answer to the age-old question: Nothing matters as much as the brand, unless when something else matters. You want to write that down.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • TonyJZX TonyJZX on Feb 04, 2012

    I buy based on model. I have allegiences to certain brands but if they don't make a car in the format you want at the price you want well I'll go somewhere else. eg. I would never buy an Audi or Volvo as I don't believe in luxury FWD cars. I think companies mistake how much the dealer experience can make or break a brand. True to form, many people seem to dislike GM and Ford dealers and this is reflected onto the car. The two Koreans tend to have better deal experiences so again this flatters the brand.

  • Ciddyguy Ciddyguy on Feb 04, 2012

    I'm not much for blind brand loyalty but sometimes I go for a brand, based on how I like their general designs. I have currently an almost 8 YO cordless phone from Panasonic and my DVD recorder is also a Panasonic, though that was not a conscious decision but at the time, I was impressed with what they were making in a general sense. My TV is a Samsung, based on what they were offering at the time (2008) and having seen a 12 YO tubed TV my Mom bought be reliable (she's since replaced it with a VIZIO LCD TV). But as to cars, I've always had a soft spot for Mopars, especially older ones and had been well familiar with the venerable slant 6 as a child as I grew up around mostly Plymouths, but a Dodge or two as well and owned an old Chrysler and my parents had the Chrysler Concord for a few years. I also had a soft spot for Honda, but not so much their current lineup as much though the Fit comes close to what I want in a car since I was exposed to them back in 1976 as a 5th grader with the very first Accord that my Dad bought new and they've had 2 others since that first one and after my Dad died, Mom bought a gently used '97 Accord that she replaced with a 2004 Dodge Stratus due to her arthritis and the low seating in the Honda was making getting into and out of it difficult. The Dodge, being a bit higher was MUCH easier for her and she loves it and having driven it, it's not a bad car at all, but lacks sizzle in its driving dynamics and is a tad too noisy. Right now, I just traded in a very tired, nearly 20 YO Ford Ranger truck I bought used in 2006, still running fine, though not without issues at 236K+ miles on it for a 2003 Mazda Protege5 that I ended up buying, not because it was a Mazda, but because it had what I wanted/needed and just felt right to me, which is the critical thing when test driving a vehicle IMO, if it feels right and you feel comfortable with it and it's easy to operate, then by all means, go for it. But in my past, I've had a 68 Chrysler Newport, 2 Chevy Novas (a '74 and a '78), a '78 Ford Fairmont, 1983 Honda Civic and the '88 Accord (all of these used), the Ranger truck and now, the Mazda. I've only gotten to choose the Civic, the '78 Nova and now the Mazda, the rest were given to me or I inherited it (the Accord). Not only does the Mazda feel just right, size wise, but I love its driving dynamics, which feels sporty but in a daily driver kind of way and is a very practical hauler when necessary as it's the 5 door hatchback. So my criteria is handling/overall driving feel, size (no bigger than a C segment), style and usefulness (hatchbacks or small wagons), then brand but some brands, I tend to avoid, knowing their reputations for being finicky and unreliable even if maintained tend to turn me off, but some brands (FIAT) I'm willing to take a gamble with because I like what I see of the car and having driven it, would've been my NEW car choice. I don't mind less than perfect reliability (Honda/Toyota), just as long as the car is way more drivable than it is not though and I have alternatives when it IS in the shop. So now that I have the Mazda, it'll be interesting to see how my ownership of it fairs over time but so far, I love it.

  • Tparkit Tparkit on Feb 04, 2012

    For me, reliability is Job #1. I make long drives in open country, through the Rockies, and often in winter, so I need something I can trust to not break down and strand me in the middle of nowhere. That means no Benz, Audi, BMW, or VW. Besides, the idea of paying $$$ for "engineering" that doesn't hold up would make me feel like I'd taken cash out into the backyard and burned it. Also, I can participate in these money-pits vicariously, through family members who own these uberjunkers. What else is out? GM or Chrysler products... I won't subsidize the parasitic government/union cleptocracy that lurks behind the curtain. Ford... if I let them sell me another one, it's shame on me. No pseudosportscars... I get a better handling/performance fix from my Ninja. And probably no Honda. Miserable, bean-counting, ball-dropping, myopic, insular, navel-gazing bastards. (I own one, but it isn't new.) The only nifty car they make is the Fit, which unfortunately doesn't meet my needs. Thankfully I don't need to go car-shopping, but if I was thinking about a new model my first stop might be Subaru, to check out the new Forester.

  • Sam P Sam P on Feb 04, 2012

    I have essentially no brand loyalty. I've owned cars from two Swedish brands, a Japanese brand, and a German brand. My next vehicle will be probably be some sort of Jeep.

    • Highdesertcat Highdesertcat on Feb 04, 2012

      I have never been a Jeep fan and I owned several different kinds of used Jeep over the years, such as the Wagoneer and Wrangler. But a few months ago I bought a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Summit 4X4 V6 for my wife and I am favorably impressed with the whole package. No problems in over 5k miles and the fit&finish is outstanding. And the automatic QuadraTrac I with Traction control is sure-footed on and off road, in mud, snow, on gravel and ice alike. You can't even feel it working although you see everyone around you slipping and sliding around. It's the best Jeep we've ever owned and just as good as the 2008 Toyota Highlander Limited 4X4 we replaced.

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