In dog training, when you say "sit", you have to say it the same way, with the same patterns and reward at the end, so a dog eventually knows exactly what you're communicating and knows what to do to get what she wants - the treat. But mix up the pattern a little bit and the dog gets confused and you don't get the result you're looking for.
The same holds true in building a brand.
I've been buying the Gilette After Shave Gel for Sensitive Skin for a number of years and have given them loyal sales. It's not the type of product that you jump up and down with excitement about and want to tell everyone about it, but for someone with sensitive skin, it simply worked...and I kept coming back.
But things changed in recent months. First, the product became harder to find and I could no longer buy it at my local supermarket as I always had. There was a newer Gilette product, which I tried once, due to some degree of loyalty to the overall brand, but I didn't like it. Wanting the consistent results, I looked for my product at local pharmacies, making special trips for this one product and eventually found it. However, when I did get it, I was disappointed that the product seemed to have changed. The consistency was not the same, the aroma was not the same. I can't really put my finger on it, but when you use a product for years, you notice small changes and it was clear that this was either a bad batch or they changed the formula. With these inconsistencies, I've decided the product is no longer worthy of a drive out of my way to find it and I'll just pick up a l'Oreal alternative the next time at the supermarket.
Gilette had me. They were consistent. I was trained. Then, for whatever the reason, they changed their approach and I'm not responding the same way I always had. Not only that, but it will be much harder for them to get me to listen to them in the future.
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