Romancing the Brand: How Brands Create Strong, Intimate Relationships with Consumers

9

Breaking Up and Moving On

Just like our relationships with people, brand-consumer relationships can deteriorate. Boredom, dissatisfaction, and lack of communication all are signs of a relationship going bad. When your brand's relationship with its consumers declines, you have three choices: (1) rescue the relationship with the existing consumer base, (2) focus your efforts on forming a stronger bond with a different consumer group so that the brand can continue to thrive, or (3) make the tough decision that the brand is no longer relevant and should be discontinued. We discussed option 1 in Chapter Eight, and in this chapter, we'll discuss the other two. Determining that the relationship is in trouble is the first step for any marketer. Too ...