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Original submission details

Original title: Recovering Z Flip Optimist, in an emotionally Committed iPhone marriage

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The original question / King’s College London

5.8 Building loyalty

Place yourself in the role of a marketing consultant for Samsung.

You have been asked to identify five tactics to enhance loyalty.

In the interest of subjectivity, you have been asked to develop these five tactics without contacting, visiting or making contact with anyone in the company. Instead, visit the Samsung website. You may, of course, search any other websites or databases to find out more about the company.

Course task reproduced as context. The response below is Fiona’s independent academic work. KEATS source ↗ (university access required).

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Fiona’s response

My little bro (30) says Samsung makes brilliant tech. His photos are great. The prices are attractive. The designs are nostalgic. I wanted to be loyal. I tried. But one heartbreak (RIP Galaxy Z Flip, dead after two days) and a disastrous customer service experience later, I was crawling back to Apple like it was an ex I couldn’t quit. So if Samsung wants real loyalty—not just “we’ll try it and see”—they need more than specs. They need strategy with heart. Here are five loyalty tactics I’d pitch to build emotional, not just technical, attachment:

1. First Impressions Matter

Stop people in their tracks with looks, then reel them in with handheld (literally and figuratively) onboarding.

When I first flipped open my Z Flip, 2003-me screamed. But when it broke and support ghosted me? Loyalty shattered. iPhone would’ve handed me a new one, no questions asked.

Tactic: Create a Samsung “First 48” experience—interactive setup, concierge-style help.

Why.it.works: First impressions shape long-term commitment (Oliver, 1999). Emotional UX—warm welcome=warm feelings.

2. Partner with a Major Game Studio

My husband is buying an entire PlayStation for one exclusive game. Absurd—he already has an Xbox and Nintendo. But well played, PlayStation.

Tactic: Team up with a major studio for a Samsung-only mobile blockbuster people would switch phones for.

Why.it.works: Gamification drives engagement (Zichermann & Linder, 2013), and exclusivity taps into FOMO and commitment bias. Samsung needs its own “September moment.”

3. Make Samsung Members the Coolest Club in Tech

Right now, it’s giving “forum with badges”—more Boy Scouts than lifestyle cool movement.

Tactic: Reboot Samsung Members as a premium space: surprise drops, BTS access, virtual events with product designers.

Why.it.works: People are loyal to what feels like a community (Muniz & O’Guinn, 2001). Be a trailblazer, not a tag-along, last kid to be picked at gym class.

4. Win the First-Time Phone Users

Older users ship may have sailed, but get the younger ones first. I left because switching felt like more that I can handle between school runs.

Tactic: A ‘first phone’ initiative: fun tutorials, milestone-based rewards. Star systems = dopamine hits.

Why.it.works: It lowers switching costs (Burnham et al., 2003) and makes change feel exciting, not exhausting.

5. Let Superfans Co-Create the Next Galaxy

The Flip screen shouldn’t have made it to market. I’d have happily tested it and warned them.

Tactic: Launch a Galaxy Co-Creation Lab. Let fans vote on features, test materials, shape design.

Why.it.works: People are loyal to what they help create (Prahalad & Ramaswamy, 2004). Plus, it’s brilliant UGC and hype. That’s a free marketing team that grows exponentially.

Eye-catching, heart-stopping design grabs attention. Specs get you noticed. Emotion makes you stay. If Samsung wants loyalty, it needs to stop chasing features and start creating feelings—through a flawless welcome, real community, brag-worthy moments, and reliable products. I wanted to be loyal. Give people more reasons, and maybe they won’t flip back like I did.

(See comments for references.)

References were supplied in a separate reply on 2025-03-29 at 10:53 AM.

References.

  1. • Burnham, T.A., Frels, J.K. and Mahajan, V. (2003). ‘Consumer Switching Costs: A Typology, Antecedents, and Consequences’, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 31(2), pp.109–126.
  2. • Keller, K.L. (1993). ‘Conceptualising, Measuring and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity’, Journal of Marketing, 57(1), pp.1–22.
  3. • Muniz, A.M. and O’Guinn, T.C. (2001). ‘Brand Community’, Journal of Consumer Research, 27(4), pp.412–432.
  4. • Oliver, R.L. (1999). ‘Whence Consumer Loyalty?’, Journal of Marketing, 63(Special Issue), pp.33–44.
  5. • Prahalad, C.K. and Ramaswamy, V. (2004). ‘Co-creating Unique Value with Customers’, Strategy & Leadership, 32(3), pp.4–9.
  6. • Zichermann, G. and Linder, J. (2013). The Gamification Revolution: How Leaders Leverage Game Mechanics to Crush the Competition. McGraw-Hill Education.

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