This is interesting.
According to an article from Mashable, a recent study has shown that in the face of controversy or negative publicity, people are more likely to defend their favorite brands than to ditch them.
As a Public Relations professional, this revelation both excites and intimidates me. Why? Well, mainly because I spend my days attempting to evoke the same fierce loyalty from the fans/customers of my clients that popular brands have managed to secure for themselves. The idea that someone can love a brand so thoroughly that they stand firmly behind it, even when the media tells them not to, is a level of brand endorsement that most companies only dream about.
I can't help but wonder what steps the marketers of these popular brands had to take in order to build their company's following. Is it simply that the products a company produces are ones consumers don't want to live without (i.e. Starbucks coffee), or is it something more?
It astounds me from an outside perspective, but looking at this article from the point of view of the consumer that I am, I have to say that I relate wholeheartedly. While my loyalties to most brands are mainly dependent upon the product-results ratio (I love my Chi hair straightener, but only because it makes my hair straight), there are some brands I would definitely stay loyal to in the face of controversy [to a reasonable level.]
What this article helps demonstrate is one of the basic "laws" of Public Relations-- without brand recognition and loyalty, no company would ever survive the inevitable rough patches of consumerism.
