The notion of commitment is a recurring theme in marketing, and Adetem devoted its latest edition to it. Factory which showed that there are as many definitions as there are debaters ... or almost.
And that's quite logical, for at least two reasons.
Firstly, because the term covers a wide range of meanings, from the mutual commitment of engaged couples to that of troops in a parade, or even the entry into politics, and so on. As for the constant reference to etymology - pawn -This is tantamount to favouring just one definition among many... and one that is necessarily dated, not to say outdated!
Not forgetting that the noun "engagement" can also refer to the verb "to engage" (= "to commit"). I'm hiring an employee) than the pronominal s'engager (= I undertake to complete an action).
Secondly, because in marketing, the notion of commitment changes considerably depending on the stakeholder's position: from the person who makes the commitment to the person who seeks to trigger commitment in others, not forgetting the reciprocal commitment mentioned earlier in the context of an engagement.
The very idea of a brand implies a commitment to quality: "if I sign up to a product or service, it's because I'm sure - and so that you can be sure - of its quality".. Quality commitment partially regulated by the legislator in the form of legal guarantee... and therefore mandatory.
Of course, the brand can also make other commitments, such as respect for the environment or the well-being of its employees: this is known as societal commitment, which is just as important a part of brand equity as qualitative commitment.
Commitment to quality and social responsibility are not necessarily linked, and Uber is a flagrant example of this: good progress in terms of quality in the face of competition from taxis, but a total regression in terms of respect for drivers.
The more commitment a brand makes, the more commitment it creates in return on the part of its customers, who will not only remain loyal to it - because why abandon a brand whose quality not only satisfies us, but whose values we share? - but will recommend it to their friends.
This is a reciprocal commitment.
Unfortunately, social media - or rather the misuse of social media - has perverted this notion of consumer engagement, particularly through the famous engagement rate, which consists of calculating the percentage of people who have interacted with your messages in relation to the total number of people who have been exposed to them.
But what does interacting on social media actually mean? View "I like on a publication and/or retweet it to their friends... but what does that really mean when 6 out of 10 twittos retweet messages they haven't even read?
As for "LikeBut what do they really mean in a world where the cultural norm is to post them everywhere, just to show your friends that you're part of the same community? More a vague sign of social recognition than any real love for the brands concerned ... especially as these are the same people who go off and participate just as actively in spreading negative buzz at the slightest crisis!
There are two ways for brands to create commitment within their community.
The easy way, which consists of using all the tricks that abound on blogs and other professional social media to get as many Internet users as possible, for example, to post as many "Likeor to redistribute content that they won't read by creating challenges, competitions, etc.
Reason, which aims to maximise reciprocal commitment, and to make a commitment not only to the quality of its products and services, but also in a socially responsible way; this is certainly the most arduous path ... but also the most rewarding, in the long run.
