How to delight customers - two great stories

I recently heard two charming hotel stories that demonstrate how easy it is to make a small gesture that can make a huge difference to the guests brand experience.

Story one

David Benson (a mate at work) occasionally stays at the Charlotte Street Hotel. The last time he stayed he found a card on his pillow welcoming him back.

Story two

John Abraham (he told this story during a recent Satmetrix webinar) took his wife and kids to a hotel that he was staying at/using for a conference. On arrival he found the names of his 2 kids spelt out in small sponges in the bathroom.

I love these stories is because they demonstrate that with a little bit of thought and no extra cost it can be easy to deliver WOW brand experiences.

Why is it that hotels so rarely get it right?

I stay in some pretty swanky hotels while travelling on business. They are generally quite pleasant... sometimes they disappoint... occasionally I hate them so much I write about it. Rarely (never?) do they delight me.

What a missed opportunity.

As I say all the time, if you can WOW consumers they will be much more likely to buy/visit again and maybe even talk about you.

If you are working in a hotel - or any brand organisation for that matter - why not spent some time talking to others in the operation considering what you can do to enhance the brand experience that will build greater consumer loyalty and advocacy.

If you get it right it is worth it.

To quote Jeff Jarvis [see previous post]: “Your customers are you’re ad agency.”

Apple and Disney deliver some in-store magic

In a recent post I talked about Disney’s plans to revamp their stores with help from Steve Jobs from Apple. I have also posted before about how Apple are the masters of retail (among other things).

I guess regular readers will not be surprised given that this blog is all about celebrating brand organisations that get the importance of designing & delivering winning brand experiences that delight consumers.

Anyway, I came across a post at Retail Customer Experience that highlighted 5 lessons from the Disney/Apple story:

1. Product knowledge isn't everything. It is also about new and exciting retail experiences...be on the lookout for great ideas outside your own product category.
2. Even great companies get stuck. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, advice or coaching from a wide range of professional and personal backgrounds.
3. Experiences are tough to copy: Experiences are not only difficult to replicate, but also they allow you to command a premium for that very same product or service.
4. Retail should be fun: We need to bring the joy back to shopping.
5. Innovate in downturns:

These are great tips that all retailers should consider if they are looking for ways to get customers to buy again and may be even advocate to their mates.

Branded experiences are the new advertising

The recently published Razorfish Digital Brand Experience report 2009 says a number of things that really work for me:

"Branded experiences (or actions) are the new

advertising."

"In today’s increasingly digital world, the experience is the message."

"Digital is not simply an 'awareness'

play; it’s a customer-creation play"

As I keep saying...Brand Experience is what brand organisations should be focusing on.

Sure, part of brand marketing is about raising awareness (of the brand promise). But, more importantly, a

ll parts of the organisation - marketing, sales, customer service, etc - should be concentrating on how to deliver brand experiences that deliver (the promise) and delight consumers - so that they buy again and ideally become advocates.

As Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, has been known to say (also in the report):

“Your brand

is formed primarily, not by what your company says about itself,

but what the company does.” Experience, as we will see, not only

matters—it drives results to the bottom line.

The report is a must read for anyone involved in trying to build winning brands.

A Ferrari brand experience like no other

If you are into cars you'll like the sound of this.

The worlds first Ferrari theme park, inspired by the classic double curve side profile of the Ferrari GT chassis, is being built in Abu Dhabi.

It promises a multi-sensory celebration of a design icon offering a thrilling brand experience like no other.

The main attraction will be "one of the most intense ‘freefall’ experiences in the world" (one of the world’s fastest roller coasters capable of speeds in excess of 200kph).

It sounds like it will deliver a Ferrari brand experience to many who, like me, sadly can't offered to own one!

It should be cool.

Winning brands invest in delighting consumers

As ever, a very smart question from Seth:

"As you get bigger and older, are you busy ensuring that a bad thing won't happen that might upset your day, or are you aggressively investing in having a remarkable thing happen that will delight or move a customer?"

Does your brand organisation invest in delighting consumers?

It should.

When consumers are delighted they often buy again and are more likely to become advocates.

It is worth the investment and effort as building advocacy has a very positive impact on business success.

Flash mob hits the beach in Australia

I think this is a cracking film.

It is great entertainment that will get the brand (Flip MooHD digital video cameras) noticed.

It delivers a message that is completely relevant to what brand is all about.

I would love to have been at Bondi beach to watch it being made (rather than at Leicester Square watching the making of the T-Mobile event).

BT are changing their approach to customer relationship building

If you work in a brand organisation and are involved in building customer relationships go to www.research-live.com and watch this video [click for link to site].

In the video Nicola Millard, from BT, talks with passion about the future, social media and customer relationship building.

BT used to have one of the worst reputations for customer care. They want to change.

Nicola has been bought in to shake-up some of their old established ways of doing things.

She explains in the video how they are working out how technology and internal networks can help them deliver brand experiences that will delight consumers.

The video is refreshing and fascinating.

Nike have invented another clever way to get themselves noticed

I love this idea.

It’s a superb Cause Related brand experience that will get Nike noticed.

Imagine being a participant or spectator of the Tour de France and seeing messages of hope in the fight against cancer written on the road.

Nike – with various partners – have created a giant robotic writing tool that chalks messages feed by Twitter and text. It can also send pictures of the messages back to their writers.

This smart use of technology will deliver relevant, unique and powerful brand experiences that people will remember and talk about.

Powerful stuff.

Disney improve in-store brand experience

Disney are masters of creating brand experiences that delight consumers.

At their parks they deliver magical experiences that kids remember and talk about.

Apple are also masters of brand experience

Their shops are a delight for consumers.

The fact that Disney are working with Apple (Steve Jobs is on the Disney board) to revamp all their stores is a really smart move.

Stores improvements include:

• Theatres where kids can watch clips.
• Interactive displays.
• Role-play costumes.
• Speak to characters via satellite
• Touch screens where parents can book a Disney Cruise.

Their goal is simple: “It’s about making this an experience rather than just picking up a toy,

A spokesman for Disney said:. “You have to build a brand experience that’s enriching enough in its own right, but also amplifies that experience after they leave the store.”

I am confident they will get it right.

Other branded retailers should watch with interest.