Romancing the Brand: How Brands Create Strong, Intimate Relationships with Consumers

4

Meet Memorably

Think about when you met someone special in your life. For the record, my wife and I don't remember actually meeting. We kind of knew each other casually for a while and then started dating. We do, however, remember when we first started getting to know each other better. It started with a long conversation one day and evolved from there. Before we knew it, we had a connection.

The meeting of the brand and the consumer depends on a number of factors: the brand's perceived reputation prior to the meeting, previous “relationships” (the consumer's previous brand experiences and whether he or she is open to the brand's category), physical proximity (does the consumer have the actual opportunity to meet the brand?), and others. When ...