The Disney brand is one of the most powerful in the world! They successfully deliver their message, confirm their credibility, connect emotionally with customers of all ages, motivate their customers, and build extreme customer loyalty. Their brand resides within the hearts and minds of customers old and young. So, what happens when something gets in the way of this beautiful brand relationship? Can Disney’s customer loyalty magic trump a bad experience?
I have a friend who has been a loyal customer of Disney World for more than 35 years. She recently took her young children to the Magic Kingdom for their first visit. Her expectations were high as she remembered all of the wonderful times she had spent there as a child and an adult. But this time was different for her because she had a few bad experiences. I know this is shocking—but it is true. The magic of the Disney brand and her loyalty were put to the test.
1. Craft Your Message
Brand image is a mental or emotional association in the customer’s mind. It is initiated by the images you use in your advertising, and the words you use to describe your products and services. After sufficient impressions, the customer remembers these associations and your brand is born.
- “Dreams Come True” is the message that is delivered throughout the Magic Kingdom. It is plastered all over and sung throughout the park by every Disney character imaginable. Unfortunately, for my friend the message did not make it to the resort where she was staying with her family. She was placed in the “new trainee” line and the individual who was checking her in made so many mistakes that the would-be 10 minute process took an hour. This delay resulted in missing a boat to the Magic Kingdom and set them back an additional 45 minutes. When they finally arrived at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom they were told that their adult tickets were labeled “children” (another error made by the trainee) and that this needed to be corrected by a manager – another 30 minute delay. This was not the kind of experience my friend and her family were dreaming of!
Did the magic of the Disney brand trump this bad experience? YES! They brushed it off and moved on.
To achieve this kind of brand strength, your core brand messaging needs to communicate to your customer why you are useful and why you are better than the competition. It is not so much about bragging about how dedicated your employees are or how talented they are—this should be left up to the customer to decide as they engage with your company and product. The power of Disney’s brand to create extreme customer loyalty comes from the engagement and the experiences that are shared.
2. Maintain Credibility
Credibility is the heart of every business. Your customers must see your company as capable of delivering quality products and services. This allows them to confirm your business as a reliable choice among other competing choices in your market. Establishing credibility is not a one-time process. After all for those of us other than Disney, one mistake can easily trump the reputation you have built. 86% of customers have stopped doing business with a company because of one bad experience [Harris Interactive, 2011]. Consistency, then, becomes of the utmost importance to building loyalty.
- At first, it seemed at like every experience my friend and her family had while inside the Magic Kingdom lived up to their expectations and the brand promises made by Disney. Some were better even than they had dreamed. Then as they were waiting in line to ride The Pirates of the Caribbean, all of a sudden the system came to a halt. After 20 minutes of the same announcement, “We are sorry of the inconvenience…,” they left the line for the ride. Their 45 minute wait in line was for nothing! This was not something that you would expect to happen at the Magic Kingdom!
Did the magic of the Disney brand trump this bad experience? YES! They brushed it off and moved on.
3. Connect Emotionally
Your brand resides within the hearts and minds of your customers. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which you can influence and some you cannot. Branding is not about convincing your customers to choose you over the community down the road, but it is about getting your customer to see you as the one place that provides the solutions to their problem.
- Emotions are what make the Disney brand so magical and powerful. It would be difficult to visit the Magic Kingdom and not connect emotionally. Everything is screaming “Dreams Come True” as you walk through the park, and all five senses are influenced simultaneously. This goes back to the high expectations my friend and her family had for their trip. Their expectations for the Disney brand were so high that even a few blunders did not trump the ‘magic’ of the Magic Kingdom. This connection was not forced on them—it was built over time as their experiences led their immense sense of loyalty.
4. Motivate
‘Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.’
-Walt Disney
Enough said.
5. Use Memory Building Blocks
Your customers aren’t always in front of your products or advertising, which means they could forget about you or be persuaded by a competitor. That’s why you need to take advantage of your customer’s memory. Even if a competitor courts your customers, if your brand made a favorable impression on them while they were with you, there’s a good chance they’ll reject the competitor. That’s the power of customer loyalty to a good brand!
- Two weeks after my friend and her family visited the Magic Kingdom they received a beautiful thank you card signed by all of the main Disney characters. Thanks in great part to this reminder of their visit, her children can’t get back to Disney fast enough!
“From all of your Disney Pals, we hope you created magical memories during your visit to Walt Disney World in 2013.”
From its beginnings as a small studio in the 1920s, the Disney Company has become one of the most influential organizations in the world of entertainment. They understand that to succeed in branding you must understand the needs and wants of your customers. They do this by integrating brand strategies at every point of public contact. From the person cleaning the bathrooms to the one who dons the Mickey Mouse costume—everyone at the Magic Kingdom plays a part in telling the same story. When you achieve this level of brand loyalty, customers will be willing to overlook a few mistakes.
What about your company’s brand message and experience? Does your organization inspire customer loyalty that will trump a bad experience?
Maria Lawson