Is there really a thing called loyalty anymore?

So I was reading a new article today that was on PR Newswire (full article posted in my prior blog). It was discussing the new forms of loyalty marketing through social media. It made me think about what 20 Lemons has been doing as a company, how we offer loyalty cards and programs for restaurant groups and wondering if this trend is simply a thing of the past.

Perhaps the question is, is there such as a thing as loyalty anymore? And from a marketing and business perspective can we reward it? With the changes in the economy, unfortunately you are still seeing companies continuing to make cuts, departments being moved around, job descriptions changing faster than ever.

To me it seems that this is the time to say that loyalty is more important than ever. When things get tough, that is when you can truly find your alliances, you can find who has integrity, and which companies are worth their weight.

Loyalty is about developing a relationship where you can trust the brand you are working with. Loyalty is knowing that you are receiving a great deal by working with this person. Loyalty is knowing that when you need to put on an amazing presentation, your alliances will help you to shine. Loyalty is about creating relationships, and knowing who is dependable.

So how do we track and measure this? Luckily, there are new technologies out there such as pongr, foursquare and social rewards to help with building these communities and how to track them. Yet, even this these apps is loyalty still something that sticks around as longer than a fad? People have been drinking Coke for years and dads have been purchasing barbie for their daughters. Maybe “loyalty” is just a way of “short-term” answer, but if you want a “long-term” answer maybe your brand needs to be strong enough that it is a legacy.