Okay, now that we’re all caught up, Disney+ and Netflix’s social media practices are far from perfect. How do they get away with it? Obviously, they each make exorbitant amounts of money, but what really keeps people coming back is the brand love.

What is Brand Love?

I recently read an article in the a 2019 issue of the Administrative Sciences Journal that defined brand love as a positive intimate emotion towards a brand over a long period of time. The author, Monica Gomez-Suarez, Ph. D, found that with a strong enough sense of brand love, users can be leveraged into valuable content creators for social media and brand managers. 

There are not many brands who have customers with a stronger sense of brand love than Disney.

With a storied history of happy memories in their amusement parks, to some of the most iconic movies, and television shows, Disney has grown one of the most fanatical audiences. I’m talking about fanatical to the point of over-the-top Disney weddings, cruise ships , a college program, and even a Disney World Marathon.

Is Brand Love Really Big Deal?

Brand love is a HUGE deal.

APCO Insights found that the connections we make to brands can be just as strong as those we make with other people. And companies with near identical products, like Disney+ and Netflix, customers will often fall back on the brand they feel a stronger connection to. 

If I were putting Disney and Netflix up against each other, in this respect, I’d say the brand with the cremated human remains cleanup policy is the clear winner. 

Jabs at Disney aside, a brand’s ability to connect to their users’ personal experiences is now considered an important metric in marketing and social media campaigns. According to researcher, Paolo Roma’s 2019 article in the Journal of Business Research, the emerging trend of brands creating content to connect with consumers solidifies their place as an important part of the consumer’s life. Even if the brand plays a secondary part of the content, the virality of the content is what ultimately matters.

Our Favorite Toxic Relationship

Not to beat a dead horse, but Disney+ and Netflix do not follow all the best practices on social media – they just don’t. Lucky for them we all still love them. We still share their content, pay for their services, and recommend their shows to each other. We are their unpaid content creating machines. 

Yeah, it’s not fair, but it’s not our fault! Blame the social exchange theory. I recently read up on this theory in a 2018 article from the Journal of Business Research. Author, Paul Harrigan, described social exchange theory as the process of consumers deciding to engage with a brand based on their perception of the costs and benefits.

So are we angry enough to leave all our favorite characters and experiences behind because Disney+ won’t respond to a tweet. Of course not! In (social) exchange for our undying love and nostalgia for Disney’s content they continue to make and (whether we ask for it or not) remake our favorite movies and television shows.

So, if I’m being honest, Disney+ and Disney fans on the whole don’t have it all that bad, but I know that’s not the case for everyone. Do you find yourself to be in brand love with a brand that won’t love you back? Tell me all about it in the comments.