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Building Brand Loyalty?

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Normally, manufacturers of any product would bend over backwards to get repeat customers. Be it the car industry, cell phone manufacturers, shoe manufacturers, electronics, etc. Flat out, the success or failure of a company can be based on whether the buying public continues to buy the same brand or item they’ve used in the past. So brand loyalty simply is when customers continue to purchase from the same brand over and over again, despite competitors offering similar products or services.

But within the Hearing Aid industry, building brand loyalty seems to be a second thought. Case in point - say someone has an old hearing aid that needs to be replaced. The aid’s still working, but the owner wants to upgrade to a new replacement model. Unfortunately, that simple line of thinking is easier said than done for two reasons.

One roadblock is that most companies won’t give the time of day to anyone (private party) calling directly and asking the simple question, “Are you planning on coming out with a new aid this year? Most HA companies don’t have customer service, and getting answers on future aids is very difficult. Like, don’t call us, we will call you. Then, to make matters worse, your faithful Audi, or hearing aid dealer, will run into the same problem when they contact Phonak, Oticon, Starkey, Resound, Widex, etc., and ask when a new aid might be coming out. Because your Audi will also get the complete run around.

So how in hell are you supposed to get ‘brand loyalty” when the HA company you’re trying to contact to replace your current (old) aid won’t even say if a new aid is coming out this year, next year, or the year beyond? So, say you’re currently using Oticon aids and would like to continue with that brand, but can’t wait forever. Especially if your current aids are six, seven, or eight years old. The same deal goes for Phonak and other HA manufacturers. You buy an aid, keep it working for say six plus years, and then are totally in the dark when it comes to replacing that aid with something hopefully better.

Bottom line - HA companies are making a major mistake by keeping their head in the sand and not keeping future customers aware of what’s coming down the pipeline, as far as new aid development and availability. Yeah - so much for brand loyalty.

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Aids are sold as a B2B medical device not a B2C consumer product. Car companies used to (more so) and still do make product they push to dealers and then have to sell. Consumer products have similar issues. Both have aggressive update cycles with expected release dates, vehicle model years, etc. Consumer products have a stronger used market.

Aids lock your loyalty in by being superior for some (Sphere), offering more accessories used in workplace and schools (Roger), owning sales channels (many brands), locking down accessories to one brand (Demant is an example), getting audiologists to deal that brand only or push that brand, similar features and a unique sound, etc. They use B2B more than B2C tactics. Some brands offer consumer rebates or promotions. Consumers are not the customer even though it’s ultimately consumer dollars. Most of the markup goes to the audiologists unlike for consumer goods. Aids do not have to be updated. Look at the slow release cycle of high power , disposable battery aids, etc. Look at new aids that are sold along side older ones. Aids are also historically used by many children (less agency) and seniors (some are less informed or proabikiu of dying before the next aid release). Many aid buyers put them in a drawer and do not buy another for a long time.

If you’re unhappy about it, sending detailed feedback to each brand could move the needle a small amount. is interested in more patient driven engagement so you could read about that and try to work it into explaining what you seek.

I have often thought that a subscription type arrangement would be interesting. Sign a contract for five or ten years at a yearly rate, and automatically get upgraded to the latest model when they are released. Failing that, a trade in allowance when you buy an upgrade model of the same brand.

In reply to @user490

All good points, but when push comes to shove, if my current aids should shut down from old age, I’ll be saying goodbye to my current aid manufacturer, if that manufacturer hasn’t come out with a new aid in the last two to three years. I’m not buying old technology to stay loyal to brand X, when some other manufacturer has a 2025 or early 2026 aid model on the market.

Also is it asking HA manufactures to much to try to tie in new aids when say the warranty period of current aids expires? Now I’m not in the camp like some (supposed) wealthy posters here who think its cool to get new aids every two, three years. Nope I want to wear my aids up to the point my Audi says time to change, or they just wear down after one round of repair. But when that time comes, it sure would be nice to see some new aids I can pick from versus 2001, 2002, and 2023 aids that might be dying on the vine.

From the manufacturer’s point of view, signalling to the public that their next best thing will be available in the future may result in their losing a sale in the present. I have no clue about customer brand loyalty statistics, but I assume manufacturers have that kind of information. Manufacturers have likely carefully weighed the trade-off between providing current customers information about future releases and keeping it under wraps until they surprises us with their next bestest ever - you won’t believe how great this is- model.

And not signaling anything regarding a new aid upgrade, year after year after year, tells the buying public to pull up stakes and move on. Which could mean forgetting brand loyalty. Hearing aids cost far more than a cell phone, yet cell phones come out with new models every year. With lots of new bells and whistles. Sorry, but as I understand it, Research and Development plays a major role in any company’s future development. Unfortunately, many manufacturers seem to be cutting back on R&D and pushing yesterday’s aids far beyond what the buying public wants.

@Baileyhere My current, and first, hearing aids are two and a half years old. I’m hoping for another two and a half more (they are Oticon Real 3). I’m already looking at who’s got what. I have not followed the industry until recently so am not really up on what manufacturers have done in the past.

I am optimistic that when I do buy new ones that they will be a considerable improvement over my current ones, which are good in most listening situations - except that dreaded noisy restaurant type. I will likely settle for less than top tier again. I’m also considering an often mentioned on this forum big box store chain who shall remain nameless!

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