Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz talks about the importance of emotional connections.
I really loved one quote " ...we are not in the coffee business serving people but people business serving coffee..." .
I really think this clearly explains the fabric of that organization - employees who work for it, business it believes in, how they market products and the kind of innovations one can expect from them. In fact, Starbucks has not used traditional advertising and marketing spending along its path as a global brand!
Howard Schultz says " it is not about a quarterly promotion or a program but making it a way of life. .... a co-authored marketing program designed by Wieden + Kennedy that is expected break in the US... we will not be using television but other mediums that are consistent & compatible with the brand...."
Relationship programs, loyalty programs etc. are just a few cogs in the "wheel of relationships" for a brand. It is an enterprise-wide effort. There must be enough investments in employees, product design, service differentiation, experience management etc.
Emotional loyalty will in the long term score over transactional loyalty!