If you haven't read the 7-page Saatchi & Saatchi article in the December 3rd issue of BusinessWeek, it's a pretty important piece to check out. Not sure if it puts the agency is the grandest of light, but it's an honest commentary on our industry today.
My point in bringing up the article is not to simply recap it, but to discuss the subject of consumer/brand love when it comes to retail brands.
One of the things the article talks about is Saatchi's client, J.C. Penney and their much-lauded campaign built around the idea of Lovemarks, which of course is the basis of agency CEO Kevin Roberts' advertising philosophy. Penney's moved the account to Saatchi for this idea, and it's a powerful one. We all know that consumer love not only builds brand loyalty, but margins as well. For those who may have missed the end creative result ("Every Day Matters"), some recent Saatchi/Penney's TV can be seen here, here and here.
However, according to BusinessWeek, sales haven't really responded to the Lovemarks-inspired work. Then, in somewhat related news, the lead Creative Director just left for Y&R. (To be clear and fair, it's worth pointing out that November same-store sales at Penney's increased 2.6% vs. 1.4% last Nov).
Things take awhile to build, but the initial report of slow sales makes me ponder the role of consumer love with retail brands and, after I get through Gossage, Lovemarks is next on the book list. The questions I'll be asking as I read and ponder and drink coffee are: Should a Lovemarks approach be the lead horse for a brand, and how does retail and product benefit messaging fit in?
Of course it's imperative to bring love into a brand, but I think one needs to be careful not to do it at the expense of conveying the product benefit. I think the Penney's stuff, while beautiful and uplifting and heart-touching, may have done just that.
History has proven that retail brands who balance love/desire and product benefit together, in nearly all their executions, fair best: Target, IKEA and John Lewis come to mind. 
I have a hunch there's a middle ground to articulate here.
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