Gamechangers: Creating Innovative Strategies for Business and Brands; Lessons in Innovation from Those Winning the Game

11 MOBILIZE . . . GROWING FURTHER AND FASTER TOGETHER CHANGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Gamechangers recognize that customers have little interest in being loyal to them, but want to connect and do more with other people like them. Brands bring people together with shared values and interests, giving them a platform and even a voice.

• More collective . . . from customer relationships . . . to social movements . . . They bring people together so that they can share their purpose, actively.
• More facilitated . . . from incentivizing purchases . . . to enabling connections . . . They curate, enable and support communities to achieve more together.
• More collaborative . . . from transactional loyalty . . . to mutual partners . . . They work together over time, achieving more together and sharing success.

11.1 RELATIONSHIPS . . . LOYALTY TO EACH OTHER, NOT TO BRANDS

Brands are obsessed about building relationships – from loyalty cards to membership clubs, relationship marketing and net promoter scores. The reality is that customers trust other customers far more than they trust any brand, and are much more interested in connecting with other people like themselves. Today, the best brands facilitate relationships between people who share common purpose and passion. This enabling role builds a community or, better, a movement of advocates.

The millions of dollars invested in the pursuit of customer loyalty is usually futile. Recognizing the huge potential lifetime value of an ongoing ...