Is Brand Loyalty Hereditary?

My good friend, Marie Logan (follow her on Twitter @marie_logan or check out her delicious blog http://thedeliciouslifeofme.blogspot.com/) brought the fact of brand loyalty to my attention this morning. Marie recently bought a gorgeous bright blue Nissan Micra for herself, affectionally known as Mikey. Now, Marie had effectively decided to purchase Mikey before looking at any other cars, and simply visiting other car dealerships cemented the fact she had made the right choice for her. 

The main reason Marie headed straight for a Nissan dealership was because her Mum also owns a Nissan and loves it. With that in mind why would Marie doubt her own mother and look elsewhere? Now we come to the issue of brand loyalty and how it begins in consumers. Many people would have the same experience when purchasing certain items. I know I can't go past Yamaha speakers because my Dad adores them and my Mum swears by Clinque so when I started wearing makeup my first stop was the Clinque counter at Myer. Getting consumers at a young age is brilliant for brands, and if done successfully can lock in a brand loyal consumer for a lifetime. 

I know I'm old enough now to make my own choices as a consumer but many of these brands my parents are loyal to have been transferred to me. Do you think brand loyalty is hereditary?