| |
| |
|
Branding Information |
|
|
|
Branding Fiasco -- Better Be Who You Say You Are!
Our experience as customers offers great instruction into the concept of branding. Come with me on a recent "experience" and you'll see what I mean. Here's the situation: I want to order an 800 number. On my AT&T bill is a customer services number. I call it. A voice mail gives four options. None of which I want. Just TRY to get a representative. I am instructed to dial another number. I am given three options. Hit 0 for operator and the disembodied voice says I have called after hours. The hours are 7am - 10-pm Monday- Fri. Eastern Standard Time. Fine. It is now 4am Monday in California. They should be open. By 4:30am in CA I have called repeatedly and punched in all the prompts until I am ready to punch someone. I am still told by a disembodied voice that the offices are closed. I try another number. This time, I reach a computer voice. Computer: "I'll try and help you. Tell me in your own words what you want." Me: "Toll free service." Computer: "I'm sorry. I did not understand. Let me tell you what services we offer?" Me: "I want a person" Computer: "Tell me, in your own words, what you want." Me: "Toll free service!" Computer: "I am sorry. I do not understand what you want." Me: (screaming) "I want a person." Computer: "I am sorry. I?" SLAM!!!! I call 00 in frustration. "Operator!!" Operator: "How can I help?" Me: "I have been trying without luck to get someone in customer service. I have been caught in a voice mail hell with an atavistic voice. How do I talk to a person?" Operator: "I am sorry you are having problems. You can talk to a supervisor." Supervisor: "Can I help you?" Me: (heatedly) "I want to ask about a toll free number. I have dialed three numbers and cannot get in. It says the offices open at 7am and now it's almost 8am EST!" Supervisor: "Oh, sometimes they forget to turn off that message so the phones can ring through. We have to call and tell them." Me: (incredulously) "You mean the PHONE company has employees who do NOT know their first order of business is to turn on phones to answer customers!" Supervisor: (calmly) "I am sorry. Let me give you a different number than the one you have been calling. You need to call the office for AT&T 1-800 Easy Reach. "Easy Reach?!??!?" Who are they trying to kid! I call this "Impossible to Reach". Branding Lesson #1: Your name sets up an expectation. Live up to it or suffer. There is a promise established in what we advertise and name things. Southwest Airlines had thought to create a baggage claim delivery time slogan. Then they realized that due to the configuration in a few of their terminals, to quote such a time was almost impossible. They dropped the campaign even though it would have been true in MOST of their sites. Branding Lesson #2: Your business sets up an expectation. If you don't deliver for yourself - how can you deliver for the customer? A phone company that doesn't answer the phones is a scary thought. We'd expect it of any other business, but the phone company!! If you own a paint store and your store is in sorry need of paint, what does that say? If the waiters in a restaurant cannot tell you about food on the menu because they never get to eat it, what does that say? Look at your business with critical eyes. Would you do business with you? Branding Lesson #3: The past never counts. The present creates the brand. It is the actual in-the-moment experience that creates a brand in a customer's eyes. Brand is a living entity that is re-earned, renewed, or revoked with every interaction. Advertising only creates awareness. I am convinced the very best, most unique, most competitive maker of a "brand" is the well-trained, empowered employee who can disregard systems and procedures in order to continue a human interaction. As more organizations substitute technology for people, the company that answers its own phone and get humans connected in short order will win the day. About The Author Eileen McDargh is founder of McDargh Communications, a consulting and training company specializing in inner and interpersonal skill development for the purpose of improving the life of a business and the business of life. Visit Eileen at http://www.EileenMcDargh.com or www.theresilientspirit.com. © 2003, McDargh Communications. All rights reserved. Reprints are appreciated and must include byline, contact information and copyright.
MORE RESOURCES:
Joint Venture Pays Dividends For Steel Advertising & Interactive ... - Business Wire (press release)
Branding - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Branding Fiasco -- Better Be Who You Say You Are! Our experience as customers offers great instruction into the concept of branding. Come with me on a recent "experience" and you'll see what I mean. How Brand as an Intellectual Property has Led to Corporate Globalisation? IntroductionGlobalisation is referred to as a set of profound material changes that have an impact on relations between societies in the past few decades. The identifiable features of these material changes are witnessed in the development and growth of web, satellite transmission, fibre-optic technology, broadband operations, transnational corporations and the emergence of World Trade Organisation. Why Should I do Business With You? It's the question that is on the minds of all our customers regardless of what products or services we are offering. Potential customers want to know what makes you so different and why should they do business with you as opposed to one of your competitor's. Trademark: Do I Need One for My Business Name and Logo? Wondering if a trademark is important to you as a business owner? Let's start with the basics. A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, or logo that distinguishes and identifies the source of goods of one company or person from another. Go Ask Alice One of fiction's finest marketing minds, The Cheshire Cat, once told Alice in Wonderland something all business owners and marketers should remember:"If you don't care where you are going, it doesn't make a difference which path you take."For businesses bent upon success, it does matter which path you take. Acquire, Then Rebrand Acquiring another corporation usually means that the acquiring company's name will be the name of the newly merged entity. There is one factor that can change that -- one that is stronger than anything else. Branding Services - Brand Identity Guru Branding Services is a tactic that marketing executives and managers should not only understand, but also employ. Branding services helps your company clearly position your company over your competition by branding your product/service in the minds of your target markets. Counterfeit Branding - Representing True Globalisation! From cigarettes to fashion accessories to food products to medicines, more than 50% of the global market are filled with counterfeited products. Do you realise that the Nike t-shirt that you are probably wearing right now may not even exist in the design portfolio of Nike Inc. What is Private Franchising? It is Nothing Someone Made It Up The Federal Trade Commission has an obligation to the general public, their stated consumer education mission and to the over regulated franchising industry and the small business operators running Biz Ops to separate the two business models by way of legal definition. Any failure to completely separate them will trigger additional problems down the road and cause the current on-going process of rule review to continue, without any formalization for decades. John Deere and NASCAR; Excellent Use of Brand We should all recognize the marketing efforts of John Deere especially as we have spoken before with regards to their TOYS. They have a complete line of nearly every tractor or agricultural attachment they make available in small, micro size. The Positioning of Success Many businesses of today are often driven to compete striclty on price, quality, and features of their products and services. Companies who prosper over the long term don't simply offer the best deals, the best quality, or the most impressive bells and whistles. You Bored Me at Hello - Top Three Strategies for Networking Your Brand "You had me at hello," those famous words from the movie Jerry McGuire let Tom Cruise know that Rene Zellweger's character was hooked from that point and the rest of his talking was unnecessary. When in networking situations, many small business owners leave people with a slightly different feeling. Top Eight Mistakes to Avoid When Naming Your Business Naming a business is like laying the cornerstone of a building. Once it's in place, the entire foundation and structure is aligned to that original stone. Id Buy That: Getting A Brand Mindset Feel that? The crisp tingle in the air? It's fall. Fall ushers in the promise of eating, seeing, and getting. Logo Design - Corporate Identity Branding - Brand Identity Guru Like it or not it's who you are. Your corporate Identity touches all aspects of your business and plays a vital role in your customer's overall feeling with your organization. Simple Risk Reversal Formula Will Send Your Sales Into Space (2 of 2) Make A Bold Promise Then Back It Up With An Awesome GuaranteeWe finished the last article with a mnemonic.. The Big Uneasy: Clearing the Clouds of Guess People often come to me to assist them with developing their brand because they are unable to accomplish the business success they desire. They're experiencing what we call the Big Uneasy--the state of being when things are hard. Nike / Sears / Kmart The Sears-Kmart merger hopes to fabricate some sort of silver lining for both retailers but instead seems to embody the inevitable philosophy of "going down together." Kmart, an already sinking ship, certainly worsens conditions for Sears, and Sears does not have a strong enough current to keep Kmart afloat when there are enterprises like Wal*Mart and Target constantly blasting holes in the stern with brand messages of "smart and classy. New Uniforms Could be the Gold Charm for the Golden Arches New designer uniforms could be the gold charm McDonald's needs to connect their new hip marketing campaign to their fast-food restaurants. This possible gold charm for the fast-food chain has the ability to let the actual fast-food restaurants reflect the image they are portraying in their advertisement campaign. Branding Your Radio or TV Campaign With A Musical Identity (aka Audo Logo, aka Jingle) You don't think twice about a business card and letterhead logo for the visual aspect of your campaign, why not an audio logo to brand your broadcast campaign?With the magic of music you can capture the personality of your business, create an emotional connection to your target audience and get recall & branding recognition (in some instances with people tapping their feet and singing your company name) even when you are not on the air.The majority of advertisers use the free production services that radio and TV stations offer to save money.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |