CorpComms Magazine

Fierce brand loyalty can make consumers act against their own best interests, according to a new study.

Self-identification with brands explains consumers' insatiable craving for Apple technology, public grief on the death of a celebrity and the fury of teenagers on being denied the right make of jeans, reveals research from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. 

On developing an emotional attachment to a brand, consumers will happily overspend on its products, fervently defend its reputation in the face of considerable opposition, vilify its competitors, and delay or forgo necessary purchases awaiting the latest models from their target company.

The efforts to which consumers will go in order to maintain engagement with a brand are only overshadowed by the pains they endure when their favourite lines are discontinued. If forced to buy a competitor's product, brand loyalists will experience pangs of anxiety and guilt, according to the study published in the November issue of the Journal of Marketing.

The study suggests loyal consumers treat their favourite brands as an extension of themselves and identifies a parallel with the way fans engage with celebrities, helping explain why members of the public can experience symptoms of grief in response to a celebrity death.

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