Let’s play a quick game:
👉 Would you cry if your toothpaste brand disappeared tomorrow?
…Didn’t think so.
But if Spotify vanished?
😭 Emotional meltdown.
Nike stopped making Air Jordans?
😤 People would riot (in style).
That’s the magic of Lovemarks — brands we don’t just buy… we love.
💥 So, What the Heck Is a Lovemark?
The term “Lovemarks” was coined by Kevin Roberts, former CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, who basically said:
“Forget brand loyalty. We want brand love. Obsessive, emotional, irrational love.”
In short:
Brands that win both the head and the heart.
Not just trusted — loved. Like, Tattoo-the-logo-on-your-arm level loved.
🧠+❤️ = 💘 The Lovemarks Formula
According to Roberts, it’s all about two spicy ingredients:
- Respect (Does the brand deliver?)
- Love (Do you feel something?)
Let’s chart this out in meme language:
| Low Respect | High Respect | |
|---|---|---|
| Low Love | Meh. Who? | Trusted but boring (your accountant’s socks) |
| High Love | Guilty pleasure (that $1 pizza) | Lovemarks! (Apple, LEGO, Netflix) |
🍕 Example Time: Brands on the Lovemarks Spectrum
- Lovemark: Apple – Makes you feel cool, creative, and broke.
- Just Respected: Microsoft Excel – Useful, powerful… but no one’s naming their baby “Spreadsheet.”
- Just Loved: That taco truck that gave you food poisoning and memories.
Lovemarks go beyond logic. They’re emotional. They’re irrational.
Like texting your ex at 2 AM — except your ex is Coca-Cola and it still tastes amazing.
🎢 What Makes a Brand a Lovemark?
1. Mystery
A story, a vibe, a legacy.
Example: Disney — you don’t just watch a movie. You go on a nostalgia rollercoaster while humming Let It Go.
2. Sensuality
Sight. Sound. Touch. Smell. Taste.
Example: Starbucks — the smell of coffee, cozy lighting, and names spelled hilariously wrong.
3. Intimacy
Empathy, commitment, closeness.
Example: IKEA – sure, the instructions confuse you, but deep down, you believe they get your affordable-scandinavian-furniture needs.
❌ Brands That Don’t Get It?
They focus only on transactions.
They’re that friend who texts only when they need something.
Sure, we’ll buy once. But love? Nah.
Example: A random airline that loses your luggage and your faith in humanity.
🛠️ So, How Do You Build a Lovemark?
- Tell stories, don’t just sell products.
- Make people feel something — laughter, nostalgia, FOMO, tears, chills.
- Focus on experience more than features.
- Earn respect with consistency.
- Wrap it all in a little mystery. Sprinkle some sensuality. Add intimacy. (Boom — emotional lasagna.)
💡 Final Thought:
Anyone can build a brand.
But Lovemarks?
They get shouted out in wedding speeches, tattooed on forearms, and defended in heated group chats.
If your brand were to disappear tomorrow — would people miss it?
If not… you’ve got some loving to do.