Bob was not a happy traveler. After yet another flight cancellation, he summed up his assessment of the airline, “I don’t think they care about people anymore.” Bob is echoing the feelings of a majority of customers everywhere these days. A National Study of Customer Loyalty, conducted by Harte-Hanks Analytics, incorporated the views of consumers across 18 industry categories. The report concluded “Companies who are serious about increasing their level of customer loyalty should consider the importance of demonstrating to their customers that they care about them in satisfying their needs.”

Customer loyalty has been identified as the single, most-important driver of long-term profitability. Yet, many companies still mistakenly believe that customer satisfaction is all that matters-that high levels of satisfaction will magically translate into loyalty. Not so! Satisfaction is a prerequisite to loyalty, but by no means does it guarantee loyalty.

Working with Harte-Hanks Analytics, Hallmark (the folks you trust “When you care enough to send the very best”) initiated a follow-up to the national study to examine how four variables -- caring, trust, length of patronage, and overall satisfaction -- help predict customer loyalty. Caring was found to be twice as important as any of the other three variables.

So, how do you get from short-term satisfaction to long-term loyalty? Caring is the bridge. And, as Hallmark discovered, Emotion Marketing is the means of delivery.

We define Emotion Marketing as “the enterprise-wide pursuit of a sustainable connection that makes customers feel so valued and cared for, that they’ll go out of their way to be loyal.” It’s elevating emotion to the strategic level while connecting with customers on a deeper, more meaningful level. It’s the way to win sustainable competitive advantage through emotional value. And it’s the proven, practical way to let customers know that you genuinely care. But, few companies really understand the powerful role emotion plays in defining value for customers and driving loyal behavior over time.

As Hallmark explored ways to increase value for its own customers, they surveyed thousands of customers and asked them to define their needs in their own terms. What emerged was a completely new kind of motivational framework. More discovery than invention, five factors revealed themselves in the survey: Money, Product, Equity, Experience, and Energy. As Hallmark studied the implications in more depth, the difference in the rational and emotional value drivers became clearer-and became the basis for Emotion Marketing.

Money and Product are easy enough to understand. They’re both rational-they’re customer priorities based on logic. Both are minimum criticals, as competitive pricing and quality products are the costs of entry to today’s market. In stark contrast are the other three value drivers...Equity, Experience, and Energy-called the Emotional E’s.

Equity is a combination of the trust a brand earns and an identity that allows customers to feel emotionally connected to it. A company makes a promise, consistently delivers, and over time its customers come to rely on it. Simply seeing the logo or hearing the name tells them the product or service is worth the investment.

Experience deals with the myriad of customers’ interactions with a brand. Visits to a store or web site, employee contacts, communications, loyalty programs, and use of a product or service all affect a customer’s attitude about the brand. In every encounter, there’s an opportunity to meet a need-and make an emotional connection.

Energy is the investment of time and effort a customer makes in a product or service. Is it easy? Accessible? Worthwhile? Companies that demonstrate concern about people’s time strengthen the connection with customers.

Not only do these three factors provide opportunities for clear differentiation from the competition, but research shows they actually drive the majority of decisions to purchase. It’s no longer enough to merely provide a great service, product, or a familiar brand name. In today’s economy, there’s an even more important element-Emotion Marketing. Companies that work towards mastering Emotion Marketing are building that caring bridge-and will win customers for life.

To learn more about the caring bridge and the Emotional E’s, read the book Emotion Marketing: The Hallmark Way of Winning Customers for Life. The book reveals for the first time how Hallmark’s superior marketing strategy can help any company create an emotional bond with customers-and a distinct advantage in today’s marketplace. Emotion Marketing is authored by Scott Robinette, President of Hallmark Loyalty Marketing Group, and Claire Brand, General Manager of Hallmark Keepsakes, with business writer Vicki Lenz.

Copyright 2000 by Vicki Lenz. Used with permission.