Building consumer brand preference

Preference is a scale, and brands move up, down and even off that scale with and without a vigilant brand management strategy. Your competition is vying for the same share of mind. Pricing, promotional deals and product availability all have tremendous impact on the position of your brand in the consumer’s preference set. If all things are equal, the best defense is to make yourself more relevant to consumers than the competition. The brand's potential can only be fulfilled by continually reinforcing its perceived quality, upmarket identity and relevance to the consumer.

The same branding activities that drive awareness also drive preference. And, while awareness alone will not sustain preference, it will improve the brand’s potential for building and maintaining preference. With a great story and a large enough investment, awareness can be attained rather quickly. It takes time, however, and constant reevaluation to build brand preference. Aristotle professed, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”

Attaining and sustaining preference is an important step on the road to gaining brand loyalty. The ability to generate more revenue, gain greater market share and beat off the competition is the reward.