Not a LOT, but I like it

Imagine being asked if you like a brand you’ve recently bought.

I know it’s unlikely but say you’re on a consumer panel doing a survey and the next question comes up.

“Overall, how much do you like [brand]?” on a 7-point scale from 1 ‘dislike very much’ to 7 ‘like very much’.

You might well wonder what they mean by ‘like’.

You’re familiar with the brand?

Satisfied with the experience?

In the habit of buying it?

Find it’s a brand you trust?

Nothing to complain about?

Some kind of pull?

A bargain?

Then there’s ‘like’ compared to what? A brand of toilet roll versus a brand of lipstick. An insurance company versus an online marketplace? Does a 6 mean the same in each case?

And the before and after factor. We all know attitudes can follow behaviour as well as precede it.

What if your views on a brand are felt but not articulated? There’s a connection to your deeper needs but not one you’re particularly aware of?

The best way of finding out about this is indirectly through implicit research techniques, not a standard survey.

Another problem with the direct approach is some needs get disowned. Like Status or Control. “I wouldn’t say we’re rich.” “Who are you calling a control freak?” “The evidence shows…”

You might even think in a broader sense. Do I like this brand as much as I like my partner? Or my team? Or chocolate?

That’s the danger in calling it an ‘emotional connection’. It’s not that emotional or that much of a connection. It’s weaker than that.

But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

The real issue in all this is when meaningless questions lead to meaningful-looking data.

Those numbers sit on a dashboard, get charted quarter by quarter and end up in front of the board. Decisions get made on them, strategies chosen.

And before too long the evidence gets turned into dogma. Distinctiveness is all that matters. Stop worrying about the meaning of it all.

Particularly if what is thought to matter most is attracting more light buyers, most of whom hardly know the brand. Penetration rules.

Of course, if anyone whispers words of dissent from the shadows, they pop up in the comments with their innocent-sounding questions.

Then they vanish without waiting for a reply.

Can’t say I like them.