Have you heard about Joshie the Giraffe? I never had until I attended an IBM conference in Las Vegas last week, and the keynote speakers at one of the lunch general sessions was Scott Stratten, a social media/marketing guru and the co-author of Unselling.
Stratten spoke to the group on the importance of branding your company properly and the small things that can affect your company’s brand perception.
His example was that of the Ritz-Carlton. He asked what the brand perception was for the Ritz-Carlton. The answers among the audience ranged from “luxury” to “expensive” and “extravagant.” He then proceeded to tell us about Joshie the Giraffe.
A child left his beloved toy, Joshie the Giraffe, at the Ritz-Carlton after a vacation. The family frantically called the Ritz, and then lied to their son that Joshie was on an extended vacation and he would be home soon, while hoping furiously that the hotel staff would find Joshie.
The employees at the Ritz not only found Joshie and shipped him back overnight to the waiting family, but also included a care package with pictures of Joshie’s extended stay. There were pictures of Joshie getting a massage, mowing the lawn and working the security desk. He even came with his own, brand new, official name badge as a Ritz-Carlton employee. Of course the child was happy to have his toy back, but his parents were floored with the Ritz’s customer service.
What the Ritz had no way of knowing was that the father of the family was a blogger for the Huffington Post. He blogged about it and it went viral almost instantly. Read article.
After his speech, Stratten then asked the audience again to give one word to describe the Ritz-Carlton brand. The words included “amazing,” “passionate” and “service.”
You see, branding is not all about what you write on your website or distribute in sales collateral. Your company’s branding goes as deep as your employee level. How quick is the response time for your company? How does your company handle dissatisfaction? At what level do you interact with your customers? What is the noise on social media about your brand?
Prompt, courteous customer service speaks volumes. You can advertise how great your customer service is, but if it doesn’t filter down to the employee level, your brand is not being properly communicated. One negative experience with a company leads a consumer to voice their opinion, LOUDLY and frequently. Negative experiences can have an immediate, damaging ripple effect on your brand.
But on the other hand, look at how quickly one very positive experience can change the perception of a brand. The Ritz-Carlton went from being expensive and luxurious to family-friendly and awesome. Branding comes from everywhere, so keep your eyes open to how your brand is viewed.
Contributed by Wendy Sanacore, Agency Ingram Micro.
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