The ultimate objective of advertising is to reach and consolidate "Brand Loyalty". Years of mass-communications expressed in investments are sacrified, millions are spent in space or airtime, copywriters do sweat their pens to have it, to keep it or at least to trigger it... brand loyalty; the obsession of advertisers, the "muse", the beloved, the eversearched fulfillment of our profession: How do we define it? How do we achieve it? How do we keep it? and what is more important how do we lose it?...
The following paragraphs are simply evoking the most crucial metamorphosis that professionals felt in Lebanon on the advertising scene, when major brand loyalty started to vanish as a result of uncontrolable changes that occured and that are still moulding the economical trends due to the Lebanese crisis or dilemma still active since 1975.
Needless to recall the golden age of Lebanon before 1975; the pilot market praised by all Pan Arab advertisers, giants or ambitious; Lebanon was indeed the sublimation of a modern market flourishing, radiating with prosperity and appealing to the advertising currency. That was the picture and brand loyalty was really justified.
Regardless of their genuine and hidden drives; giant advertisers succeeded the complete seduction; the following brands selected to form the basic spectrum of consumer products, achieved full brand loyalty and secured the consolidation of their charm and taught as well the legendary title of "Generics" in the mind of their consumers; we recall:
In Cigarettes:
Philip Morris positioned Marlboro as the leading brand.
R.J. Reynolds followed with Winston.
The remaining secondary market shares were the arena to all other brands that lost faith in attacking the major leaders and accepted stoically to fight to be among the minor followers; these were Kent, Rothmans, Dunhill, Viceroy, etc... and the French brands accepted the segmentation theory and kept a very few ratio of loyalty. Local cigarettes suffered from this and their efforts were vain to join the race.
In Detergents:
Procter & Gamble won the trophy, in high suds from "Tide" to "Yes" the race was really discouraging even for international leaders such as Unilever: The motivation was nearly lacking in low suds, "Ariel" convinced Pienkelto accept the second position for Persil as it did not succeed its brand loyalty consolidation.
In liquid detergent, Fairy Liquid of P and G as well enjoyed the adoring effect of brand loyalty up to its peak.
In powder instant Milk:
"Nestle" positioned "Nido" as the ritual leading brand deserving the complete worship privileges; the success went beyond all expectations, and the competition accepted stoically the defeat and "Brand Loyalty" was expressed with the same esteem that is granted by primitives to their native legend.
Consumerism was an act of faith, and the supermarket tray became the ritual altar for the same sacred "offerings" that were Marlboro, Ariel, Fairy, Nido, Pampers, etc...
Brand Loyalty was safe, or at least we felt it secured and enjoying full immunity as despite the nine years of the Lebanese events; brand loyalty seemed more solid than the constitution itself.
Nevertheless the virus was incubating and when the feverish race between the local currency and the foreign one started, the ethical consumer values started shaking till they collapsed. We recall during that period the psychological psychosis that shocked and frustrated all these "loyals"; imagine your source of faith, your ultimate objects of admiration, your daily "offerings" became all of a sudden inaccessible, unaffordable and out of reach... at that time these faithful, trusty and "loyal" consumers were viciously turning all around the alleys of the superstores, looking to these brands with addict eyes and their offended pride managed to keep their hands off these shelves, these same shelves of yesterday...
Brand Loyalty started shifting from labels, logos, emblems, and all the elements of corporate identity to a new small label; ugly and primitive; numerical and mean... all these eyes went there; hunting a figure; eliminating a digit; a cipher or at least a monogram...
The mechanism was dramatic, eyes driving hands and these same hands returned the same product and the eyes opened a glance of frustration and deception... People were hiding their new purchased goods or "gods," they were outraged, offended and insulted.
Brand Loyalty collapsed as if built on quick sand, and the "worshippers" were doomed.
"The Day After" Marlboro started becoming a rare and precious object (3 new brands were launched recently Winston vanished from the advertising scene and many "remnants" joined the race), "Ariel" became nearly a wedding gift, Pampers left the shelves to pseudo-diapers and Nido witnessed the launch of 23 brands in 6 months time only; least and not last, Fairy Liquid "foamed" more than 30 brands launched in less than 6 months as well; and Fairy is no more present on the majority of shelves.
Later on, the evolution went towards the logical hunt of the ideal compromise or the best quality/price combination or concession.
"Brand Loyalty" is no more the religion of the Lebanese consumers, they are nowadays rebels, they shift at the highest speed you can imagine, they swap at the highest frequency you can set... brand loyalty is no more existing in Lebanon; although all Lebanese are eager to repractice their ritual sect provided resurrection will be granted to their country.
Ramsay Najjar is Deputy Manager for Operations at Trust.
(Arab Ad)