Brand affinity: Why customers love (and stick with) top brands

Some brands don’t just have customers. They inspire devotion. Take Nike’s “Dream Crazy” campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick. When the NFL quarterback took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, he inspired legions of fans. 

The “Dream Crazy” campaign used the tagline, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” It garnered press, sparked conversations and resonated with Nike’s customers. Afterwards, the athletic brand saw an uptick in sales and stock prices. 

That’s just one example of brand affinity in action. It’s about more than making a statement. It’s about standing for something your customers believe in too. That alignment in values runs deeper than any discount code. 

In this article, we’ll explore the foundation of brand affinity, how you can build it and how it differs from brand loyalty. Because in a world of endless choices, relationships, relevance and resonance are the ultimate competitive advantage.

Let’s dive in. 

Some people wear brand logos like an identity. Think about that, they’re willing to pay money for the privilege of advertising the brand. That’s brand affinity. 

In a word, brand affinity is connection. It taps into the human psychology of yearning to belong and brands that appeal to that buyer psychology create an emotional connection. 

Apple’s iconic “Think Different” campaign is a textbook example of achieving this emotional connection. It honored creatives and rebels, making them part of the story. It was more than a tagline. It served as a beacon to those who saw themselves as different. 

Nike calls out social injustice. Patagonia speaks to people passionate about the outdoors and protecting the environment. 

Their products go beyond electronics, shoes or coats and speak to the deeper needs of the consumer. They sell identity. 

That emotional connection is what sparks brand affinity — and it’s the key difference between affinity and traditional brand loyalty.

Some brands focus on attracting repeat consumers with punch cards or points. That’s a transactional approach that puts the brand at risk of replacement.

After all, when you train your customers to be loyal to the deal, they’ll accept a better deal when it comes along. And if your primary retention strategy is a rewards program or a discount, a better deal will come along.

Streaming platforms are a classic example. If you signed up for Hulu on a promotion, you might binge a few shows and then move on to Netflix next. 

But a brand like Peloton? That’s different. 

Peloton users are part of an exclusive club. They ride with their favorite instructors and compete with friends. They can connect with other riders like them through hashtags like #PelotonMoms. The app even learns their preferences and offers personalized class recommendations. 

Owning and using a Peloton reinforces the identity that “I prioritize my health, and I belong with these people.” 

That’s brand affinity. 

Brand affinity creates emotional connections, turning customers into advocates. But how do you build that kind of connection? It starts with a strong stance. There’s no room for a wishy washy generic brand voice if you want to stand out. Brand affinity rewards the bold. 

Here’s how some of the best brands do it.

Authenticity: Transparency and shared values 

“Authenticity” might feel like an overused word these days, but it works. Transparent brands that are open about their values build trust and deeper connections. 

Take Everlane’s “Radical Transparency” initiative. In an industry rife with opaque and often questionable practices, Everlane’s authenticity chose a different approach. 

The clothing brand gives shoppers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make clothes at scale. From materials, labor and transportation, the brand shares it all.

"Transparency is incredibly important to us at Everlane," founder and CEO Michael Preysman said in an interview on The Growth Show podcast. "The idea is really to build trust with our consumer and show them that we have nothing to hide."

This kind of refreshing honesty gives people a reason to choose your brand and tell others why.

Emotional storytelling: How brands like Patagonia, Apple and Nike inspire loyalty through compelling narratives

Some brands lean hard on storytelling to inspire an emotional connection. They invite customers into a story aligned with their values. 

Three all-star brands that do this well are Patagonia, Apple and Nike. Each brand creates narratives that attract their ideal customers.  

Decades after Apple’s “Think Different” campaign, the brand still holds that positioning and creatives continue to buy Apple products over PCs because their customers are buying a mindset. 

Patagonia appeals to outdoorsy people who align with the brand’s values of environmental activism and repair culture. The brand offers a “Worn Wear” program encouraging customers to reinvent their gear by sending it back for repair or trading it in for credit. The Worn Wear program also offers an online marketplace for shoppers to purchase pre-used Patagonia goods. 

Nike stands for inclusivity and drive. Whether it’s Colin Kapernick or the more recent “You Can’t Stop Us” campaign, Nike’s stories reflect resilience and unity. 

And each of these brands are story-driven.

Community-driven engagement: UGC, social listening and customer-led content

Some of the strongest brand messages aren’t created by marketing teams. They’re created by the consumers. 

When your consumers create content about your brand, it builds trust and community. Smart brands celebrate that community by listening, responding and including the customers, making them feel like insiders. 

Two companies that excel at community driven engagement are Glossier and Legos.

Glossier built its brand on user-generated content (UGC). Forget the glitzy ad campaigns, the skincare brand reposted selfies, reviews and skincare routines to build a connection with consumers. Such UGC content builds confidence in seeing “regular people” instead of celebrities or models use the products and makes the consumer think, “this is for me.” 

Lego IDEAS is another brand that gives its consumers a sense of ownership. People can submit their own Lego concepts, and if the idea gets 10,000 + votes, the toy company considers it for production. 

Smart brands celebrate their communities and make them part of the narrative. When your customers feel like they belong, they stick around. 

Experiential marketing: Creating immersive, memorable brand interactions

Brand affinity isn’t something easily explained. You have to feel it. Experiential marketing is great at turning an abstract idea into real-life moments and helps people associate your brand with memories. When people can use multiple senses to interact with your brand, it creates powerful neural pathways. 

Here are some brands doing experiential marketing well: 

Lush

Walk into a Lush store and you’re enveloped in scent color, and products begging to be touched. Bins of roughly cut, colorful soaps sit, waiting for you to sniff them. You try the lotions, you touch the soaps and can you even leave without a bath bomb? 

Plus, Lush’s Flagship London store offers payment tablets throughout the store so customers can pay with a few taps whenever they’re finished browsing. 

IKEA

IKEA has hosted sleepover events in its stores. Sparked by a Facebook group titled, “I Wanna Have a Sleepover at Ikea” with more than 10,000 members, the marketing team brought that desire to life for 100 winners. 

But it’s not just sleepovers, the household goods brand also promoted its 30th store opening in France with a rock climbing wall built out of its furniture. 

These experiences create memories, and that’s the first step to building brand affinity. 

Personalization: The role of AI and data-driven insights in making customers feel seen

Does your brand make your customers feel like they’re in a supportive conversation? That’s the magic behind brands that care.

Spotify uses listening history and behavior to create personalized playlists and recommendations. Listeners can choose from Mood Mixes, Genre Mixes and more right from the Made for You hub based on your listening habits. And, of course, we can’t forget about the iconic annual Spotify Wrapped. 

Amazon was early to the personal recommendations game and it’s only gotten better over the years. From your browsing history to past purchases and location, Amazon’s recommendation engine makes relevant suggestions that feel personalized and helpful. It’s almost like having a personal shopper on speed dial. 

Done well, personalization feels, well, personal. Consumers feel like your brand knows them and that attention drives connection.

As the saying goes, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Brand affinity is no different. Despite its emotional core, brand affinity still leaves signposts — you just need to know where to look. 

It shows up in ways customers talk about you, share your content and keep coming back. 

Here are the key metrics to watch: 

• Sentiment analysis: How are people talking about your brand? Are they gushing or seem indifferent? AI-powered tools like Zappi, Brandwatch or Meltwater can help you uncover your customers’ language and rate it on emotional depth. 

• Engagement depth: Are people commenting, sharing and tagging your content? These signals show your content strikes an emotional core. When people engage, it means your content sparked something. 

• Referrals: When people recommend your brand because they love it, that’s the ultimate referral. You can track referral traffic from personal links, organic mentions on Reddit and NPS (Net Promotor Score) trends to see where your brand stands.

• Brand mentions: Are people making content about your brand without being asked? That’s some unsolicited brand love. From TikTok reviews to Reddit threads, positive customer-generated content is a sign that you’re part of their life. 

Measuring brand affinity is about more than tracking numbers. It’s about listening for meaning. The more positive emotions like joy and happiness you encounter, the more you know you’re on the right track. 

Brand affinity makes customers truly care about being a part of your brand. Building it requires taking a strong stance and understanding your customers.

With consistency and a deep awareness of your consumer’s values, you can create more meaningful engagement and become a brand that helps people feel connected.