Customers' Emotional Attachment Extends to More Products and Services Than Many Marketers Think

New York, June 19, 2001 -- New research published in the summer issue of the Gallup Management Journal (GMJ) shows that customers develop emotional, even passionate, ties to an extremely broad range of the products and services they use. The new findings, which contradict conventional marketing wisdom, suggest that companies in almost any industry can attract life-long customers.

New research by The Gallup Organization is highlighted in the cover story of the GMJ summer issue, now in the mail to more than 100,000 influential readers.

The results stem from a survey of more than 3,600 customers in six industries using Gallup's new CE¹¹ metric, based on an 11-question survey that determines "customer engagement" through its two key components.

Gallup found the surveyed customers' "emotional attachment" remarkably consistent across five of the six industries it studied, ranging from 27% for mass retailing to a high of 37% for consumer banking. Some 29% of consumer electronics customers were emotionally attached, as were 33% of both the automobile and online retailing customers surveyed. Only airlines, with 19% of customers emotionally attached, fell outside this tight range.

Gallup uses CE¹¹ to help companies identify which of their customers are likely to become passionate -- and, ultimately, loyal -- so that marketing efforts can be focused on them. The CE¹¹ findings on the breadth of emotional attachment contrast with marketers' past assumptions, which have associated customer passion for brands with just a few product categories -- cars, beer or jewelry.

Consequently, "businesses like groceries and banking rarely try to appeal to consumers' passion. That's a mistake," says John Fleming, Ph.D., who directed the new research. The article adds that Gallup research across a broad range of industries has shown that "passion can be sparked by goods as everyday as hiking boots or potato chips."

Here are the CE¹¹ * survey questions:

Rational:

Overall, how satisfied are you with [brand]?
How likely are you to continue to choose/repurchase [brand]?
How likely are you to recommend [brand] to a friend/associate?

Emotional:

[Brand] is a name I can always trust.
[Brand] always delivers on what they promise.
[Brand] always treats me fairly.
If a problem arises, I can always count on [brand] to reach a fair and satisfactory resolution.
I feel proud to be a [brand] customer.
[Brand] always treats me with respect.
[Brand] is the perfect company for people like me.
I can't imagine a world without [brand].

The total score on the survey indicates the level of "customer engagement," or commitment to the brand. "Customers stay faithful to brands that earn both their rational trust and their deeply felt affection," the article reports.

Second Q¹² Survey Finds Sharp Drop in "Active Disengagement"

In GMJ 's second national survey on employee engagement, also summarized in the summer issue, the percentage of "actively disengaged" adult U.S. workers dropped sharply to 14% from the 19% reported in the spring issue. At the 14% level, Gallup estimated that active disengagement costs U.S. employers approximately $252 billion to $308 billion. (At the 19% level, Gallup estimated these costs at $292 billion to $355 billion a year.)

The summer issue also asks the question: "Who's happier on the job -- men or women?" The latest national Q¹² survey also found that 35% of women are "engaged" with their jobs, compared to 25% of men. Women are also less likely to be actively disengaged. Only 11% of women fell into the category, whereas 17% of men did.

Other featured articles include:

The Human Side of Brand -- How brand strategy drives hiring at Audi USA;
Many Paths to the Top -- A look at five top executives' leadership strengths;
Pushing the Envelope -- What's behind the surge in customer satisfaction at the U.S. Postal Service; and
Will Training Get the Ax? -- New research could help make the case for corporate training as pressure mounts to prove it pays off.

GMJ is an online journal published by The Gallup Organization. The annual subscription price is $95, which includes weekly e-mail columns on management and full access to all content on http://gmj.gallup.com.

The Gallup Organization, with world headquarters in Princeton, N.J., was founded in 1935 and has grown to become one of the world's largest management consulting firms. Its 3,000 employees serve in 34 offices, including New York, Washington, Boston and 10 other cities in the United States and in 20 others around the world. Gallup's core expertise is in measuring and understanding human attitudes and behavior. Gallup applies this expertise to help companies improve business performance by leveraging their employee and customer assets. Gallup also conducts The Gallup Poll, the world's leading source of public opinion.

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