John Furr is a long-time friend of the Bices, who spent his career working in advertising and marketing.  Today he consults with the Quacker Factory.  He’s married to Nancy, a friend of Jeanne’s since first grade in Fond du Lac, Wisc. Jeanne asked John to share thoughts about Quacker Factory from time to time.  Please send him your thoughts and questions to John@Quackerfactory.com, or on Facebook.

In my first note to Quackers, I wrote about what a brand is. 

A brand is a product or service or celebrity that has created an on-going relationship with people.  The more relationships a brand has, the bigger it will be.  The more intense the relationship, the stronger the brand will be.

As I said last time, Quacker Factory is a big, strong brand.  And Jeanne is a brand unto herself.  That’s because of the relationships she’s created.

In effect the Quackers are a community . A community of about 3 million women all across America.  Kinda like The Quacker Nation! Pretty amazing, isn’t it!

What made this happen?   What brought so many women together to form the Quacker community? Did it just happen?  NO!  The Quacker Nation came about  because Quackers  share certain things.  Values.  Attitudes.  Beliefs.

What is it that Quacker Factory and Jeanne Bice give Quackers that bring them back for more, and keeps them in the Quacker community?

I have concluded that it comes down to this:  QUACKERS LOVE TO BE HAPPY!  THEY LOVE HAPPY CLOTHES.  THEY LOVE JEANNE’S HAPPY ATITUDE AND PHILOSOPHY. THEY LOVE TO BE WITH OTHER HAPPY PEOPLE.  

Read the comments of Quackers in the Quacker Factory Community Forum (check out www.Quackerfactory.com and join, if you haven’t already). Or ‘friend’ Jeanne on Facebook.  You’ll see that almost everyone comments on the happy feelings they get from wearing Quacker clothes, or being with others who smile and go 'Quack, quack!'

This really is very unusual in the world of marketing.  Very few brands have this kind of intense loyalty and feeling from their customers.  One other that comes to mind is Harley-Davidson.  Another is Apple.  There are people who will buy anything that Apple makes—even if they don’t know what is going to do for them.  (The new iPad had that kind of response.)

This kind of loyalty doesn’t just happen.  It results from TRUST.  Quackers know that Jeanne demands quality in everything she sells.  They know she (and QVC) stands behind the product.  They also know she embodies the brand herself, and spreads the kind of joy and happiness that people appreciate.  It’s a two-way street, as far as she is concerned.

In a world where there’s so much lousy news everyday, Quackers  know they can tune into Jeanne’s shows, or watch her videos on Quackerfactory.com, and see the ‘real’ Jeanne.  They’ll get a lift, and feel better just being part of the community.

Here’s little advance notice about something you’ll be hearing more about:  in the next month or so Jeanne is launching the VSQ Club (for Very Special Quackers) that will provide even more opportunities to connect and have fun in the Quacker community.  So be on the look out for the announcement!

Meanwhile, keep Quackin’ on QVC,  on Facebook, and on QuackerFactory.com.

If you’ve got a comment or question for me, please e-mail me at john@quackerfactory.com.  Till next time,

Be Happy!