Fuelling brands with emotional power
My Apple affair.
I was born in 1965, right at the start of Generation X. My relationship with Apple began in the 1980s, when the Mac II’s graphical interface revolutionised my work as a designer. Back then, technology often felt clunky and disconnected, but Apple stood out. Their products just worked, plug in a printer, and it was ready to go. For someone who valued creativity and efficiency, this seamless integration was a revelation.
As Apple evolved, so did my loyalty. I was an early adopter of the iPhone, drawn in not just by the technology, but by the vision behind it. Steve Jobs became a figure I admired deeply. Yes, he was demanding and uncompromising, but I respected that. Perhaps my own time in the British military, where excellence was non-negotiable, made me appreciate Jobs’ relentless pursuit of perfection even more.
When Jobs passed away, I mourned him as I would a friend. My connection to Apple had become personal. Loyalty is an emotional connection. Today, my desk is still an Apple ecosystem: MacBook Pro, Mac Studio, iPhone, Apple Watch. Even though Apple’s pace of innovation has slowed slightly since Jobs and design guru Ive, my loyalty remains. It’s not just about the products, it’s about decades of trust, shared values, and a sense of belonging to a creative community.
Tesla: the risk of personality-driven brands
If Apple under Jobs embodied stability and a clear vision, Tesla under Elon Musk shows the risk of tying a brand too closely to one personality. Musk’s boldness and charisma helped make Tesla a household name, but his increasingly political and polarising public persona has come at a cost. In Europe, Tesla sales have fallen by up to 80%, and U.S. volumes have dropped for five straight quarters as environmentally conscious buyers turn away. Analysts now warn that “Tesla’s brand is no longer just about innovation – it’s about Musk,” a shift that makes loyalty fragile when ideology overshadows product. For younger generations who prize authenticity and social responsibility, this volatility contrasts sharply with Apple’s enduring sense of trust and product innovation.
The burden of heritage: lessons from JLR
For many in my generation, that sense of loyalty wasn’t unique to Apple. Brands like Jaguar Land Rover once held a similar place in our lives, symbols of aspiration, craftsmanship, and continuity. They weren’t just products; they were part of our identity, built on decades of trust and shared values. But loyalty can be a fragile emotion. When JLR radically reinvented itself, sales in Europe collapsed by 97.5% year-on-year, and global volumes fell by 85% compared to 2018, a stark reminder of what happens when heritage is abandoned too abruptly. Worse still, the bold shift failed to deliver its intended goal: younger buyers didn’t flock to the brand. Gen Y and Z largely saw the new identity as confusing or irrelevant, leaving JLR caught between alienated loyalists and an unconvinced new audience.
Loyalty beyond brands: politics and institutions
This shift isn’t limited to brands, it’s visible in UK politics too. Trust in traditional political institutions has collapsed: confidence in Parliament has halved since 1990, falling to just 22% in 2022, and only 13% of Britons trust political parties. Among Gen Z, trust is even lower across almost every institution. Younger voters aren’t apathetic, they’re engaged, but on their own terms. Two-thirds of 14–24-year-olds have taken part in some political activity recently, yet only 40% say they are likely to vote, citing disillusionment and a belief that “it wouldn’t make any difference.” This is loyalty redefined: not the lifelong allegiance of previous generations, but a conditional, values-driven engagement that can shift rapidly when expectations aren’t met.
What this means for brands today
Branding is still important, but loyalty is not what it used to be. For Millennials and Gen Z, loyalty is conditional, short-lived, and easily lost, even if they care about what a brand stands for. These generations are highly brand-aware, but their loyalty is dynamic. They expect brands to stand for something real, values, purpose, and authenticity matter as much as (or more than) the product itself.
And here’s the critical distinction: not all repeat business equals loyalty. Some customers stay because switching is inconvenient, what we call transactional loyalty. That’s not the same as true loyalty, which is when customers stay even when alternatives exist and switching is easy, because they feel connected to the brand. Brands that confuse the two risk missing the real state of their appeal, and losing their most valuable advocates when friction disappears.
The challenge for brands today isn’t just to win loyalty, but to constantly re-earn it in a marketplace where switching is the norm, not the exception. And you can’t navigate this shift on gut feel alone. Decisions about branding, positioning, and engagement must be grounded in data, customer insights, behavioral analytics, and real-time feedback, not just instinct. In a world where loyalty is fluid, data is your compass..
If loyalty is no longer guaranteed, what’s your next move? Is your brand ready to re-earn trust every single day?
Cohesion Design is a creative agency working within the insurance sector. Established in 2003 they have over 35 years knowledge working in the insurance sector.