Today is the birth anniversary of George Gallup, born in Jefferson, Iowa. Gallup attended the University of Iowa, played football, and became editor of the Daily Iowan. While editor, Gallup conducted what is believed to be the first poll in human history. He took a survey among his fellow Hawkeyes, who were asked to name the prettiest girl on campus. The winner of the poll was Ophelia Smith. George Gallup and Ophelia Smith were married on Dec. 27, 1925.
Way to go, George!
As the editor of the Daily Iowan in the mid-1920s, Gallup was a bit of a rabble-rouser. In one editorial he said, "Doubt everything. Question everything. Be a radical."
In a new book published by the Gallup Organization, entitled "Married to the Brand", the question is asked how and why consumers connect to the products they use and buy. Gallup's research contends that customer satisfaction is woefully insufficient when the goal is an ongoing exclusive relationship between a customer and the brand."See Amazon.com link"
Instead, an enduring relationship between a company and a customer has four prerequisites.Together, these add up to an emotional connection that is powerful and profitable.
- Confidence. Consumers must feel that a brand is one they always can trust and one that always delivers on whatever it promises.
- Integrity. Consumers must feel that the brand treats them fairly...stands resolutely behind its products and services...and if a problem arises, the company will fix it.
- Pride. Consumers must feel proud to be associated with the brand...proud to be known as a brand owner, shopper, or user.
- Passion. The consumer must feel that the brand is irreplaceable in their lives and represents a perfect fit with their needs. In fact, they should feel that their world really wouldn't be the same without it.
Gallup believes that these four aspects of an enduring customer relationship must be reinforced wherever, whenever, and however companies touch their customers. The relationship between brand and its buyers is visceral and emotional. It derives not just from the product and its features, but from the experience that surrounds its purchase and use.
The most important aspect of a great many purchases, one that leads consumers to "marry" a brand, is People. People may be visible to consumers, may be voices heard on the phone, or may just be names on an e-mail response. They live the brand, and in the eyes of many customers, they are the brand.
George Gallup died in 1984, while staying at his summer home in Switzerland. He had made his money...many millions...from corporate clients by researching the effectiveness of ad campaigns, and by finding out who watches certain TV shows. Public-opinion polling, which made him famous, was always a money-losing proposition.
Gallup was also responsible for the biggest election-prediction faux pas, in 1948. His surveys had consistently shown that President Harry S. Truman was behind the challenger, Thomas Dewey. He assumed that the outcome was a foregone conclusion...and stopped polling two weeks before the election.
Truman won...and the day after the election, the president laughingly waved the Chicago Tribune headline that infamously announced, "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN". Gallup never made that mistake again.
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