The Symmetries of Loyalty

A recent research study published in The Journal Of Marketing (Are Women More Loyal Customers Than Men? Gender Differences in Loyalty to Firms and Individual Service Providers by Valentyna Melnyk, Stijn M.J. van Osselaer, & Tammo H.A. Bijmolt) debunks the conventional wisdom about women being more “loyal” customers than men. It seems that men have a different sort of loyalty, based on affiliation with groups or companies, rather than individual relationships:

[via Drilling Down - The Male Version of Customer Loyalty - NYTimes.com by Alex Mindin]

But the authors write that it also sheds light on larger questions of behavior, and they endorse the theory that “female self-identity centers on close individual relationships, and male self-identity centers on less intimate group relationships.”

Therefore, they suggest, “for companies targeting men, an advertising strategy that stresses group themes may engender more loyalty, whereas for companies targeting women, advertising themes focusing on personal relationships may be more suitable.”

Or, alternatively, marketing might focus on methods that are symmetric for women, stressing a kind of peer relationship, and for men, stressing asymmetric involvement, like being a follower in Twitter.

(PS I found it very odd that the NY Times article never provided the authors of the study’s names, the title, or the URL.)