Loyalty....

I tend to be a pretty loyal person, whether it's products or people. It takes a lot for me to give-up even if a product or person fails me. Someone told me recently that it's a "Midwest" thing....Maybe it's a) regional, b) skewed by marketing or c) just how I am or try to be. I'm on my 3rd Lexus, try to fly Northwest, rent cars from Avis and stay at Hiltons. Maybe I'm a creature of habit and my 8 years working in advertising the culprit. The reality is I found products that are consistent and don't let me down. And when they do let me down, the brand stands behind their product and ensure the customer walks away happy. Brands often offer loyalty programs to recognize their customers and reward their customers for using their brand. Of course not all brands, but the good ones do.

Loyalty with people is often different than with a product...When Northwest cancels/delays my flight it sucks, but it's a temporary frustration and not personal. If a friend does something that disappoints/frustrates me, it can hurt whether intentional or not. I try to be loyal to friendships during the ups/downs of life. I often wonder if I wasn't so loyal to some friendships, would the disappointment or hurt be minimized. Is there a point when loyalty goes too far; should loyalty be a 2-way street? If I'm loyal to a friend and there when they need something, shouldn't it work the same for me? In the end, maybe we all think of loyalty in a different way and that's the simplest explanation....