Brand loyalty or brand betrayal?

Most aphorisms have an equal and opposite one.
“He who hesitates is lost.”
“Everything comes to those who wait.”
A recent study tested a pair of proverbs on brands.
The researchers wanted to know.
Is it, “Out of sight, out of mind?”
Or, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
What they found may surprise you.
(It doesn’t surprise me at all).
Participants in the study stopped consuming certain brands, like Facebook.
Some substituted, or were prompted to use, an alternative brand, like WhatsApp.
Others simply went cold turkey.
Here’s the “insight.”
How much a person desires a brand depends.
On the length of time that passes before they can find it.
And whether or not they can find a suitable replacement to satisfy their desire.
So it’s “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
The longer they go without, the greater their desire.
Unless they find a substitute.
Then it’s “Out of sight, out of mind.”
Is there are lesson here?
Probably three.
First, your brand isn’t as critically important to your loyal customers as you may believe.
Second, make sure they never have a problem finding, purchasing and consuming it.
If you do, they’ll probably remain loyal.
And finally, try like hell not to be substitutable.