Big L vs. Little l

Loyalty can be thought of in two ways.

The little "l" loyalty is the goal of most reward programs such as membership cards, frequent flier miles and discounted sales offerings.  They are essentially give-away schemes dreamed up by modern-day marketers intended to buy favor and temporarily influence behavior.

The big "L" Loyalty is the Loyalty we all think of when we see raving fans, devoted followers and faithful advocates.  Big "L" Loyalty is about building strong relationships and hard to break bonds.  It is about CHANGING behavior, not simply influencing it.  It's about measuring results generationally, not merely annually or even quarterly.  Creating and maintaining Loyalty with a big "L" should be your goal.  Anything less is thinking too small.