Heartbreaker 2.0: this is the “lovebrands” born in the heat of social networks

What are the brands that have the label “lovebrands” like? This is the (often inextricable) question that plagues marketing managers of thousands of brands across the globe.

“Lovebrands” pride themselves on forging deep emotional ties with their clientele.who thanks to the love that peppers their relationship with brands, show a lot of loyalty towards those companies that have seen fit to shoot their hearts (in many cases for life).

What are “lovebrands”?

The term “lovebrand” was coined by Kevin Roberts, CEO of the agency Saatchi & Saatchi, in the book Lovemarkswhich was released in 2004. In that work Roberts explains what, in his opinion, are the three main differentiating features of “lovebrands”:

• Mystery: “lovebrands” tell stories that are fueled by dreams and myths and inspire the consumer.
• Sensuality: brands that can be classified as “lovemarks” can be experienced with all the senses and evoke very specific images, sounds and sensations.
• Privacy: “lovebrands” build deeply emotional relationships with the consumer. And the closer the relationship, the stronger the consumer loyalty.

Brands such as Apple, IKEA, LEGO, Nutella, Coca-Cola or Adidas today have the status of “lovebrands”. But, seniority is not necessarily a degree when it comes to achieving the status of “lovebrands”. Thanks to social networks, many new brands are becoming “lovebrands” with fans as dedicated or more so than the customers of much more seasoned brands such as LEGO or Coca-Cola.

But, How exactly are “lovebrands” created on 2.0 platforms? The agency specialized in social networks Intermate has taken the trouble to answer this question in a study in which it put under the magnifying glass more than 400 million “data points” on TikTok and Instagram in the period between January and September 2024. And an additional report from Appinio has also tapped the opinion of Generation Z and millennials about the “lovebrands” born from the womb of social networks.

What seems clear is that brands that aspire to metamorphose into “lovemarks” and are mainly aimed at a very young target audience must necessarily leverage their gaze on TikTok. 46% of Internet users consider, not in vain, this platform as the main driver of cultural trends.

However, To achieve success on this platform, brands must necessarily adapt their messages to the characteristics of TikTok.. Those ads that are designed specifically for this social network generate an 84% higher engagement rate than ads that are not specially adapted to this platform.

The keys to planting the seed of love (and loyalty) on social networks

Although TikTok was born with the focus on very short videos, the truth is that on this platform the user is increasingly willing to watch long videos. According to the Intermate study, in March 2023 the videos viewed on TikTok lasted an average of 29 seconds and a year later that average has shot up beyond 43 seconds in length.

To create sufficiently attractive videos for TikTok, the stories told there must be structured based on four main elements:

• «Framing». An approach must be found that makes brands relevant in the eyes of the greatest possible number of people (and also promotes the identification of the target audience).
• «Hooking». In videos with a focus on TikTok, brands must provide hooks that can be visual, acoustic or textual. In the best of cases, the hooks should be visual, acoustic and textual simultaneously.
• «Benefitting». The videos must have enough added value for the viewer to watch it until the end and, if possible, share it. The best shortcuts to instill that added value in videos on TikTok are to make the viewer laugh, teach something new or provide audio that is sufficiently catchy.
• «Activating». A good way to move the user to action on TikTok is to instill a good dose of confusion in the videos, betting, for example, on exaggeration or the announcement of things that later do not crystallize.

Even though on TikTok the user is increasingly willing to watch longer videos (or at least they are getting used to it), Brands cannot lose sight of the fact that the first 6 seconds are still crucial on this platform.. After all, 90% of advertising memory and 80% of brand awareness emerge to the surface in those first 6 seconds.

When it comes to making consumers fall in love with TikTok, not only the quality but also the quantity of the videos that are uploaded to this platform is important. According to research carried out by Intermate, the 50 brands with the best performance on this social network publish an average of 32 videos per month.

Nevertheless, What really makes the difference between “lovebrands” and mainstream brands is “engagement.”» that they are capable of generating on social networks in the form of «likes», comments, «shares» and favorites.

If we focus specifically on centennials, who are 5% more active on TikTok than on other platforms, 43% confess to a greater willingness to comment on content they come across on social media if it challenges their opinions or also arouses great interest.

In this sense, Bold, relevant content generally translates into more engagement than content that plays it safe and doesn’t dare take risks.. Brands should also take into account that 35% of users are more inclined to comment on social media when the content encourages socially and culturally relevant discussions.

It seems, on the other hand, that Shares and favorites are the most reliable proof that the content with which brands feed social networks has achieved success from the point of view of engagement. And in this particular matter, brands have a lot to learn from content creators, whose metrics easily surpass those of the former. Shares and favorites are a habit that is strongly at the mercy of generational habits. Generation Z is the one that makes the most use of shares and favorites (on TikTok at least), while millennials are more fond of comments.

How to create a “lovebrand” on social networks

In general terms, to build the foundations of a “lovebrands” on social networks, we must not lose sight of these keys:

• Communities are what make the hearts of “lovebrands” pump

Communities are the perfect breeding ground for the loyalty with which consumers treat brands. Those brands that interact authentically with their followers on social networks are perceived by people as more relevant and closer.

• Lovebrands need to rely on new KPIs to evaluate their performance on 2.0 platforms

Views and plays are not necessarily a sign of a strong social media community. And the most important metric is engagement, particularly that which takes the form of shares and favorites.

• Decoding who makes up communities is essential to extract valuable consumer insights

When they take the time to understand the dynamics and trends that drive their communities, brands gain valuable insights into the wants and needs of their target audience. This allows for a more precise focus and lays the foundations for relationships permeated with much greater depth.

• Authenticity and participation encourage authentic connections

Brands that fly the flag of authenticity and actively participate in conversations and activities within the community create truly genuine bonds with their followers. These brands tend to be perceived as “lovebrands” because they act as part of the community and are not limited to merely assuming the role of advertisers.

«Brands must think as if they were content creators. And not only in terms of how they conceive their campaigns on social networks, but also from the point of view of the constant exchange of ideas with the community. Brands must always be ‘always on’ on 2.0 platforms,” emphasizes Philip Papendieck, CEO of Intermate.