Inspirational Consumer: July 2006

Zeynep Aydin, Turkey

I first discovered Lovemarks through working at Saatchi & Saatchi.

Shopping is my happy place, as it is for most females. This must be owed to our hunter-gatherer ancestors when it was a woman’s duty to pick up fruit’s and a man’s to hunt (hence their love of football, with the ball as their prey!). In Turkey, my favorite shops are Remzi bookstores and Pasabahce tablewares stores. Makro premium supermarkets is another interesting Turkish retail concept (the closest equivalent would be Sainsbury’s). International brands whose shops I visit regularly range from Ikea to Accessorize, to Swatch and Zara.

I expect companies to recognize when I am a heavy user of their brand and be alarmed when I seem to disappear from their sight. No significant reward would be needed for this; the fact alone that they have noticed would make me feel significant.

I have an original list of Lovemark criteria; three axes which define my personal Lovemarks:

Comfort vs. Design: Functional or effective should not mean boring

Continuity vs. Innovation: A brand should constantly evolve but also keep the essence which made it in the first place.

Individuality vs. Sensuality: A brand should fit my special needs and lure my senses.

Three Lovemarks I would like to experience or own are The Leaky Cauldron (because I love Harry Potter); Blue Ocean Strategy (because I’m a planner by profession) and Skype (it sounds convenient and fun).