What do brands and religions have in common? They both strive to be authentic, build relationships, seek loyalty and lifelong relationships with customers. Religions create devotion and in a sense, brands try to do the same thing. However, more often than not, brands fall short. Marketers and businesses can learn many valuable lessons from religion when they’re trying to sell current and future wine products and gain loyal customers for life.
A wine brand has the potential for greater long-term success when it inspires loyalty. Loyalty is a result of many factors, which generate dedicated customers who can’t imagine living without your wine product. Just as important as loyalty is a brand that can create traditions, as do religions. Wine is an extremely ritualistic, cultural experience that brands should make themselves a part of. Rituals become a way of life, often passed down from generation to generation, and wine brands should do their best to become synonymous with said traditions, or rituals.
Again it all comes down to emotion and creating connection. There is a large gap between brands and emotional products. Religion connects to people emotionally. Thus, marketers could learn a thing or two from religion.
Brand Sense, by Martin Lindstrom talks about the Ten Rules of Sensory Branding. It is a list of 10 things a brand, in this case a wine brand, should do in order to rise above being a traditional, follower brand, and move toward making their brand a religious experience for loyal customers.
- A sense of belonging – community and relationships
- A clear vision – your purpose should be transparent as should your leader
- Enemies – visible enemy makes people show true colors and align with something they identify with
- Evangelism – spreading the word; essential component to attract new consumers
- Grandeur – create wonderment and awe
- Storytelling – create and establish a product that tells a story that consumers can add to
- Sensory appeal – religions appeal to the five senses and so should wine brands – sound (listening), sight (design – shape, size, color), taste and smell are synonymous, touch (texture)
- Rituals – traditional celebrations; annual winery events, weekly retail tasting events, monthly restaurant wine dinners
- Symbols – religions function around icons, brands should to – turn your label into an icon
- Mystery – create mystique to make your wine brand more sought after.
All of these attributes create stability and show that you as a wine brand are in it for the long hall. If you want your customers to be devoted to your brand for a long time, you have to show that you are devoted to your brand for a long time. Religion provides certainty to instability and brands should to. If you follow the 10 Rules of Sensory Branding, your customers will be more loyal to your wine brand.
