Blog2-Tyler Kellogg

Customer behavior will always fluxuate in order to accommodate the economic times, however I feel that because of our current economic situation, also known as a recession, customers are looking for a way to become more individual. Companies such as Nike, Oakley, and even Burton are the ones that are providing this for their consumers with NikeiD, or customizable goggles from Oakley and personalized phrases or artwork on the bottom of your snowboard deck from Burton. Although for these corporations, now that they have given the customer this amount of power, it is not really something that can be taken back from the consumer. It will be interesting to see how Nike and companies who adapt to personalizing their products for consumers adjust to this in the future.
Burtons Series 13 Project
http://www.series13.com/Default.asp

Design helps to develop brand truth in many ways. From beginning to end the design process determines the direction of any company or idea. These different elements of design from everything from color palette to a TV commercial are ways to tell the customer what exactly this company is about and also why they are important. If a single element of a companies branding strategy is off, it can completely mislead a customer in the brands message. If a customer is misinterpreting a brands message the there is a quite obviously something wrong within the design and the way that the brand is being represented. These two elements must work hand in hand in order to reach the consumer in a way that is both interesting and important in order for the brand to become successful and gain a loyal consumer base. In addition to this the brand must establish itself in a way that is able to differentiate itself from the rest of the marketplace and establish some sort of meaningful connection with its audience.
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Personally I feel that there is a difference between producing happiness and producing brand loyalty. Although I also feel that these two must follow a similar path in order to create a successful brand. If a customer is not happy with a product or brand, chances are they will not return to buy or use that product again. As a brand you must be able to make the customer happy with the product that you create before you can even begin to think about them becoming loyal to the service that you provide. In this way I feel they are quite similar, however there are many products out there that may make me happy, but this does not necessarily mean that it is going to make me loyal to that specific brand. Although chances are I may feel more comfortable buying that particular brand again, I may feel that there is another brand out there that could possibly do it better. I truly feel that happiness and brand loyalty fall within the product that is being sold and the consumers wants and needs. This issue also deals with the idea that although one product may taste, look, or feel better or worse, the consumer may still buy a particular brand based specifically on status of the brand. For example, take our recent study of Starbucks. Many people love the taste of Starbucks coffee. It makes them happy even when paying $3 to $5 per cup. Even though the taste and status of this coffee may the consumer happy, there are other factors that come into play when discussing brand loyalty, such as what type of ethical business decisions the company is making. I know that I am not the only person who feels this way about this particular coffee giant. Although drinking a cup of their coffee may make me happy in terms of my own taste buds, this does not mean that I will return to their store again simply based on their business decisions.