That’s the goal of the 4th Annual Motivation Show being held this week in Chicago. This year’s focus is connecting engagement, loyalty, and profitability. And if anybody knows about that branding triangle, it’s Brand Keys.

Engagement has been a tough metric for marketers to define, but the ultimate goal shouldn’t be that difficult to articulate. Engagement with the brand is – or should be – your ultimate objective, even if you use engagement with platforms and programs to get there. Nothing substitutes for it. Nothing else will guarantee brand survival and profitability. To those ends we’ll be presenting two themes at this year’s Motivation Show.

For the first, Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys founder and president, will be leading an interactive session about how to create loyalty. Today consumer decision-making and loyalty is more about emotion than it is about rational category attributes. Experts have suggested that the ratio in most categories is now 70:30. Yet, even with this knowledge, marketing programs seeking to build loyalty are too often based but on what consumers “say,” and not what they really feel – a practice no longer robust enough to guarantee engagement, loyalty, or profitability.

For the second, Amy Shea, Brand Keys EVP, Global Brand Development, will present “Eleven for 2011: Loyalty & Engagement Trends That Will Make a Difference.” It’s been said that prediction is difficult, especially about the future. But it’s a lot easier when you have access to leading-indicator loyalty and engagement metrics that provide a real handle on how to manage consumer expectations – and loyalty – for the coming year. Marketers who understand the 11 trends for 2011 covered in this session will have insights will allow them to successfully mange customer values and corporate profits.

We hope to see you in Chicago. As always, if you are unable to attend, drop us a note ([email protected] or [email protected]) and we’ll be glad to arrange to take you through either presentation.