As a kid, my grade school did fundraisers selling Krispy Kreme donuts. Given the nearest Krispy Kreme was an hour away, we sold truckloads of boxes. But, nothing can replace the mystical, trance-like state of watching donuts being made in a store, smelling the sugary scents and putting on those goofy hats.
Today, we live in a world where we never have to leave the house anymore. Literally everything we need can be ordered online and delivered to our homes. But where’s the fun in never going out, never enjoying an experience? Have American businesses watered down the customer experience to a point where we no longer see any point in going out?!
Take grocery stores, for instance. Buying veggies is like buying paper products. Produce is just put out with prices. Compare that to farmers markets where you can talk with the people who grew the veggies. An airline is an airline, but we all love Southwest because (among many things) they’ve made in-flight safety announcements fun. A taco is a taco, right? “Welcome to Moe’s!”
Which is more fulfilling: an experience that is more than just a transaction, or admitting that your Amazon app has become your best friend?
With every client engagement, we spend as much time on the customer experience as we do brand positioning and content development. You’ve got to give people a reason to think of you as more than a commodity. Surprise and delight a customer, and in the words of Carl Sewell, you’ve got a customer for life.
See you next Tuesday,
