Loyal customers… How do you get them?  “Where there’s spice, there’s a loyal shopper” states Sarah Nassauer in her article called “Why Spicy-Food Lovers Make Great Customers” in The Wall Street Journal, April 30, 2014.

Sarah goes on to say that there’s a “new understanding about how people who love spicy foods eat – and – shop is fueling the latest wave in making package foods hotter.”

“You get endorphins when you eat something really spicy, which feels adventurous to flavor-seeking eaters,” says Krista Lorio, senior manager of consumer insights for General Mills Inc.

“People who crave bold flavors are a growing and varied group, mostly made up of young, Hispanic and older shoppers,” companies say.

One walk down the aisle of any supermarket and its obvious that companies are spicing up their products. Take for example Bumble Bee Tuna. Now flavor cravers can find BUMBLE BEE ALBACORE TUNA with Jalapenos & Olive Oil. Kraft is also getting into the spicy section with its BIG SLICE HOT HABANERO cheese slices.  “Kraft even redesigned the packaging of its spicy cheese to include a ‘heat scale’ from one to five chili peppers,” says Sarah.

“Spice lovers like to ‘push’ the boundaries to see how far they can go,” says Chris Hjorth, senior director of marketing for natural cheese at Kraft Foods Group Inc.

Food companies are not the only ones turning up the heat and spicing up their products and services to win over customers.  Huh, what? How can other companies spice up their brands?  They do it by spicing up their customer’s experience.

Customers appreciate when companies spice up their experience so much that they become loyal customers.

A look at the latest advertising from Old Spice and Burberry, it is clear that customers seek more than the basic brand ‘flavor’.

Old Spice is definitely not your grandfather’s Old Spice anymore.

“Thanks to former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa who told women to “Look at your man, now back at me.” Old Spice is suddenly new Old Spice. Since the first commercial launched a year ago, the 79-year-old brand’s ad campaign generated tens of millions of online views” according to Judith Aquino in a Business Insider article called The 10 Most Successful Re-branding Campaigns Ever. “Old Spice didn’t change its logo, it changed the experience.” said Marc Shillum, principal at Method, Inc. a consulting agency for brand designs.

    Customers aren’t buying a brand – they are buying the adventure.

Burberry Revamped

Burberry is another brand that has spiced up its image and is creating a loyal following of young professionals. Using high-profile celebrities such as Kate Moss and actress Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame, Burberry has transformed its Brand from ‘frumpy’ into one of the hottest fashion labels, say retail experts.

Want loyal customers? Then it’s time to spice up your brand.  Brands that spice it up with an adventurous experience, whether it’s through taste, visual, scent, audio, or tactile, are the ones that allow us to imagine and want to be part of the experience and are the ones that create our loyalty.

Do you have examples of brands you use that have spiced up your life? Are you more loyal to those brands than others? Would love to hear your spicy experiences.

Please share your brand experiences below.