What does brand loyalty really mean in the age of endless choice? : Prof. S Ramesh Kumar

In his latest piece for ET Brand Equity, titled ‘Brand Loyalty: Dead, Diluted, or Redefined?’ by Prof. S Ramesh Kumar, former faculty in the Marketing area at IIM Bangalore, co-authored with Sairam Krishnamurthy, argues that brand loyalty hasn’t disappeared; it has moved from something inherited over decades to something negotiated in real time. He shows how today’s consumer, caught between discount-hunting and indulgent spending, is reshaping the very conditions that once protected brand equity, and why sharper identity, deeper context, and genuine emotional connection matter more than ever.