Several locally produced beers on a recent overseas holiday got Brett Goldhawk thinking about consumer inertia, circumstance, and the hidden nuts and bolts behind brand loyalty
Brands need consumer inertia. And the true power of a brand is the scale at which they make their audience idle to change.
That might sound a little downbeat and uninspiring, but people are fundamentally resistant to change and have a significant tendency to repeat previous choices. So big brands with immense scale of distribution (physical availability) love inertia, as consumers continue to buy their products with little to no effort, with zero desire to change their habits. They do in fact make people ‘lazy’ and de-risk the uncertainty and effort required for consumers to switch brands by ensuring they are present (in the relevant formats) wherever and whenever we need them.
Wider distribution = more opportunities to buy the brand = a higher chance to create inertia within your consumer base.
Brands should be openly strategising around the notion of inertia and the opportunity to make their customers idle. In the world of branding, familiarity does not breed contempt. Think less radical marketing and more the notion that consistency is King (or Queen).
But along with inertia, there is also circumstance. Because whether planned or unplanned, circumstance is that moment when people have limited opportunity to follow everyday routines. For example, holidays away, business travel, moving job or house, etc. Circumstance can be great in the world of marketing as it’s that moment when people maybe can’t buy their repertoire of brands because they are either unavailable or, at best, limited because circumstances have changed, and people are prepared to adapt.
A perfect example of both circumstance & inertia at play, simultaneously, was my recent all-inclusive holiday to a Cape Verde island, Boa Vista.
For the beer lovers among us, there was only one available choice on the island. Just one. A local island lager called Strela (which translates as Star). I didn’t have much view on the taste. It was a regular lager, perfectly nice for a hot day in the sun. But, through circumstance, it was a brand that was ever-present throughout my vacation – so by association a brand that fills me with positive emotion as I reflect back on quality family time.
Ok, it’s a local beer for a local market but, through circumstance, I now carry some brand loyalty and would probably include it in my repertoire of beers should it become available in the UK; because for two weeks (and by circumstance of being on holiday), the brand forced me to become ‘lazy’ with their product.
And I’m not the only one: one million tourists visit the islands every year, and 250,000 of those are Brits, who may share the same sentiment. A clear market opportunity for Strela therefore in four markets; the UK plus Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands who make up a majority of the remaining visitors to Cape Verde per annum. Circumstance can be a growth catalyst for Strela should they so wish.
And likewise, through the same set of circumstances, it was the first time I’d flown with Tui as the only UK operator on the island (in my opinion, rubbish) and Riu, the only hotel chain locally (pretty good). Which of course means that inertia and circumstance are useless without a good product or service but that’s by the by.
Inertia and circumstance are two words I doubt are ever discussed in a boardroom or marketing meeting, in part because human behaviour dictates that people tend to problem solve with old knowledge. But if circumstances change and you’d like to have a fresh perspective let’s have a chat. Over a few bottles of Strela.
Brett Goldhawk is Managing Director of Designhawk
