Definition of brand preference: Measure of brand loyalty in which a consumer will choose a particular brand in presence of competing brands,

but will accept substitutes if that brand is not available

ACHIEVING BRAND PREFERENCE UpMarket FAQ

Preferential Treatment People begin to develop preferences at a very early age. Some babies like apple juice, others water. Some kids play softball, others read. Some people thrive in the city and some need the quiet of the country. Some drink Coke while others prefer Pepsi. Our preferences are part of what makes us who we are. And, the brands we seek out reflect our preferences.

Within any product category, most consumers have a group of brands that comprise their preference set. These are the four or five upmarket brands the consumer will consider when making a purchase. When building preference, the goal is to first get on the consumers preference sets, and then to move up the sets hierarchy to become the brand consumers prefer the most their Upmarket brand. Gaining and maintaining consumer preference is a battle that is never really won.

The competition among brands is fierce. In every product category, consumers have more choices, more information and higher expectations than ever before. Jockeying for position in a consumers preference set requires an aggressive strategy and constant vigilance. The process begins by knowing who you are and with whom you want to establish a relationship.

Key to communicating this brand position is establishing a frame of reference. In an article published by the Harvard Business Review entitled, "Three Questions You Need To Ask Your Brand," Kevin Lane Keller writes, a frame of reference signals to consumers the goal they can expect to achieve by using a brand. Consumers can quickly figure out what the product is and how they should use it.

Often, your frame of reference is your competition other brands that are most likely in the preference set youve targeted for your brand. Heres an example: When V8 was first introduced there were no other vegetable juices on the market. To give consumers a frame of reference for this new product, V8 went headto-head with Sacramento Tomato Juice. When V8 implemented their strategy, I Could Have Had A V8, they cleverly insinuated that the consumer lost an opportunity to gain valuable nutrients while still satisfying

their desire for the taste of tomatoes and salt. The message also suggests that the consumer still has the opportunity to break their tomato juice habit next time around by trying a V8.

The V8 marketers were aware that before a brand can join any consumer preference set it needs to attain trial. Awareness, perceived quality and an upmarket identity that reflects the values of your chosen consumers are the brand assets that move consumers to trial. Continued and consistent branding initiatives that reinforce the consumers purchase decision will, over time, land you in consumer preference sets.

To move consumers from trial to preference, brands need to deliver on their value proposition, as well as dislodge someone else from the consumer's existing preference set. The V8 marketers were successful at dislodging Sacramento from enough consumer preference sets to gain significant market share in their chosen product category. While gaining entry onto a consumers upmarket preference set is what every brand vies for, it is very tenuous, at best.

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 consumers preference set. If all things are equal, the best defense is to make yourself more relevant to consumers than the competition. The brands 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 brands 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