Brand Loyalty: The Link between Attitude and Behavior

This article reports on the results of a major R&D initiative to redefine brand loyalty and verify its importance. Respondents from five different studies were recontacted a year after they were originally interviewed. All of the key information on behavior, and attitudes, were collected from these consumers at both stages of the process. Market shares were gathered, on each of the 27 brands, at each stage. Loyalty was calculated for each respondent, across each brand, at each stage, so that movement across loyalty groups could be measured. Then, each respondent was classified by attitude toward the brand, and the conversion and retention of behavioral and attitudinal loyalty groups was tracked. This allowed for the calculation of whether attitude affects actual behavior. Finally, changes in market share were then compared to loyalty patterns to establish the predictive validity of a new loyalty-based model.