Yes, Byron Sharp Believes Brand Loyalty Exists

The professor of marketing science at the University of South Australia likens loyalty to gravity: “It’s not something you can move around dramatically. It’s a natural part of marketing. It’s predictable.”

This is the third and final installment of the back-to-school podcast master classes in marketing. This week, my conversation is with Byron Sharp, professor of marketing science at the University of South Australia, where he is also director of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, the world’s largest research institute studying marketing.

Sharp’s book, “How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don’t Know,” first published in 2011, continues to grow in popularity among marketers and academicians alike. In this podcast, he and I discussed many aspects of the book in detail, including all things brand: from growth to building to loyalty. Our conversation is far-ranging, with Sharp touching on such topics as the scientific revolution—“It’s a wonderful thing, but it’s still got a long way to go”—and the future of marketing—“The future belongs to the thinking marketers, rather than just the doers.”

Highlights from this week’s “Marketing Today” podcast include:

• The reluctant academic: Sharp traces his path to marketing. (1:19)
• Sharp reveals the genesis of his book, “How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don’t Know.” (3:40)
• Does Sharp believe in brand loyalty? (Spoiler alert: Yes.) (5:57)
• Build and refresh: Why sometimes brands just need a nudge. (11:56)
• Building memory structures that link to the product. (16:54)
• Don’t pull that lever: Price promotions are fool’s gold. (24:38)
• The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute and evidence-based marketing. (34:16)
• “Don’t take anyone’s word”—Sharp discusses the scientific revolution. (40:32)

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