Married to the Brand: Why Consumers Bond With Some Brands for Life

by William J. McEwen

Book Overview

Packed with stories and compelling discoveries from an impressive worldwide consumer database, Married to the Brand reveals why consumers bond with some brands but not others. Looking through the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1595620052
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Gallup Press
• Length: 135 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.7" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

Great book about relationship marketing

This is one of the great marketing books of our age. We focus so much on the product's features and benefits in marketing that we often forget that a buyer's decision is not necessarily made logically. Emotional triggers created by perceived relationships with the brand are often the deciding factor, especially in an era where the differences among products in a class are seen as minimal. I heartily recommend this book to any business wanting to better understand its customers and create low-cost strategies to give its marketing an edge on the competition, and to university Marketing departments. The insights here are invaluable, and not found in this detail in any college textbook I've seen. Gary Witt, Ph.D. Chair, Marketing Western International University Phoenix, AZ [...]

Chapters survey pride levels, common brand dilemmas, and more.

Why do some consumers bond to brand names for life? Sixty years of Gallup research into consumer habits and their psychology lend to MARRIED TO THE BRAND: WHY CONSUMERS BOND WITH SOME BRANDS FOR LIFE. Many marketers work on first impressions without considering the reasons why consumers will stick with a brand. MARRIED TO THE BRAND tells how the most successful marketer not only creates the bond, but strengthens it over the years so that consumers come to equate the brand with quality and value. Chapters survey pride levels, common brand dilemmas, and more. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

Based on Sixty Years of Research

Dr. McEwen is a consultant with the Gallup polling people. For over sixty years they have researched brands and branding. In this book he analyzes and explains what he has discovered. His comparison is that branding is a lot like marrying. It is a merger of company and customer and both have obligations to the other. The company has most of the responsibilities because they are the ones that have the power to change things that attract or drive away the customer. But like any marriage, the customer also has the obligation to buy the brand so long as it meets their needs. And if brands are a marriage, he also talks about divorce. My family has always used Crest toothpaste. I go to the store, I want the same old Crest I used as a kid. Now there's Gel Crest, Mint Crest, Crest with special this, and special that. New is a magic word in marketing, but I don't want NEW, I want the same old stuff I had before. I honestly couldn't tell which was the same old stuff. I bought Colgate. Sears was a great brand, then they went all goofy. But the Craftsman brand of Sears tool has held it's place. I bought some tools for Christmas presents. They were Craftsman -- but it was the only thing I bought in the Sears store. This is the best book on understanding brands and branding I've ever seen.

About time

Disney has a brand loyalty that is the envy of Hollywood. (Ever hear anyone say, "Let's go see the lastest Columbia movie?" But ask a dad on Saturday what he's doing, and you may hear, "Taking the kids to the new Disney flic.") How did they do it? And how can they keep it? This book delves into the mystery of brand loyalty with interesting anecdotes and examples from the marketing kings: McDonalds in America, Coca Cola in Asia, and of course, Disney. But the author doesn't pull punches. McDonalds marketing, once so effective, now reeks of 40 year olds in suits trying to sound "hip." That's where the book is well worth a read: the author's discussion of how brand loyalty is built is carefully balanced with how it can be lost. Fascinating reading for anyone--marketing pros or consumers who enjoy the ride.

A Great Read For Anyone!

This book is a great read for market researchers and the general population alike. Dr. McEwen has put together a truly compelling "tale" of how certain brands entice followings, and how or why said followings are either maintained and groomed, or discarded. A fascinating cultural study, as well as a meticulous scientific one, this is a great present for anyone who's ever wondered how Disney or Coca Cola has come to the prominence they enjoy today. To have put together so much information in such a fun, readable way is Dr. McEwen's true gift, and he should be lauded for it. Bravo!