Why are some apps or subscriptions harder to cancel than others? Because the best ones aren’t just feature-rich; they deliver on a simple promise – consistently and intuitively. When competitors all reach that baseline, users stop being exclusive. They become ‘polygamous loyalists’, mixing and matching brands based on evolving needs or moods. Streaming services have amplified this behaviour. Today, most people subscribe to multiple platforms, but only a few earn consistent engagement. It’s not about being present on the screen. It’s about being present in the habit.
Streaming is the one category that is not riddled with too many loyalty programmes and is somewhat good at generating organic loyalty and even happy sharing with others. The best streaming platforms are not the ones that have the best content, but the ones hardest to let go despite not having the best content always. Some apps and subscriptions are just stickier than others.
The ABCs of brand loyalty
We believe that comes down to what we call the ‘Relationship ABCs’. These aren’t marketing buzzwords; they’re the building blocks of enduring brand-customer relationships.
A is for Appropriateness: how relevant your brand is to a user’s needs, context, or moment.
B is for Benefit: the tangible or emotional reward the user receives in exchange for their time, data, or money.
C is for Currency: the social equity users gain – or lose – by engaging with your product. It’s the cultural cachet of saying “I use this,” or the subtle fear of missing out (FOMO) when they don’t.
These three forces don’t work in silos; they feed into each other to build habits and, importantly, trigger loss-aversion. Together, they not only keep users coming back, but also create conditions for loyalty to emerge.
Let’s quickly unpack how each of these plays out in practice.
A is for Appropriateness — the beating heart of loyalty and relevance
Relevance is arguably the single most important characteristic of sticky brands, products and platforms. It’s the ability to align with what people need, what they value and how they live. Once a brand achieves that, it becomes easier to see its place in your routine and harder to imagine life without it.
But relevance has two faces: brand relevance – does this brand reflect my values? – and contextual relevance – is this useful right now? Both matter, and few do it better than Netflix. The brand blends machine learning with behavioural science to engineer a hyper-personalised experience at scale. Its secret weapon? A technique known as contextual banditry: a real-time system that decides the best creative asset (think: cover art, thumbnails) to show each user for the same title.
We tested this in the office once. Four people. Same trending movie. Four completely different visuals served up. Personalised beyond just age, gender, or region, this was content relevancy tuned to each individual’s subconscious clicks.
That level of relevance doesn’t just make Netflix useful. It makes it meaningful. And in the psychology of habit and loyalty, meaning is everything. Relevance speaks to our survival instincts, confirming that what we consume brings us joy, comfort, or clarity. So, the next time a consumer hovers over the ‘cancel subscription’ button, they just might pause. Maybe not forever. But at least until the next season drops.
B is for Benefit — the reward that keeps on giving
For any brand-consumer relationship to hold value over time, benefit and behaviour must reinforce each other in a continuous loop. But here’s the catch: if a benefit is too easy to get, it loses meaning. If it’s too hard to access, it feels like a trap. The magic happens in the middle, here the right balance creates real stickiness.
Disney+ Perks is a masterclass in loyalty design. The programme offers tangible, attainable benefits, but what truly stands out is its use of variable rewards: unpredictable bonuses that trigger satisfaction, delight and anticipation. One Reddit user shared how, upon joining, they received a two-month free trial to Duolingo Premium, completely unexpected.
That randomness matters. It surprises users in a way that feels personal. And while it delights in the moment, it also does something clever: it slows down cancellation. You hesitate. You think, “What if the next perk is even better?” Suddenly, the content doesn’t need to be amazing; the reward system buys time, goodwill and another billing cycle.
In that one moment of delight, the brand earns forgiveness and loyalty.
C is for Currency — the non-monetary value of belonging
Relationship currency is the invisible asset consumers build through repeated interactions with brands. It’s not measured in points or discounts; it’s the social capital that comes from being in the know. From having taste. From being early. These non-verbal, often unspoken assets are powerful because they serve a deeper need: validation.
The brands that stick are the ones that make you feel smarter, more informed and more relevant. Think about the cultural clout that comes from watching Money Heist on Netflix at the peak of its popularity. It’s not just about content consumption, it’s about being able to engage in the cultural moment, to have a say in the group chat. That’s relationship currency.
Even more niche examples, like Slow Horses or Silo on Apple TV, or Gen V on Prime Video, show how powerful this currency can be. The Reddit threads, the fan theories and the heated debates – all of these are proof that when people feel they’ve earned insider status, they’re more likely to stay. To subscribe. To evangelise. It’s not just a fear of missing out, it’s also a fear of being left out.
Because, at the end of the day, you’re not just building products; you’re building relationships. And relationships aren’t sustained by features alone, but by how your brand makes people feel, behave and belong.
As Maya Angelou said, “people will never forget how you made them feel”; that’s the currency they take into their next conversation and into their next purchase. So, ask yourself: Are you giving your customers a reason to stay, return and advocate?
Master the ABCs and you won’t just drive loyalty. You’ll drive a business that lasts.
By Derrick Nyirenda, Head of Strategy at MRM MENAT.
