Brand Perception is in the Details

I recently made an online order and then received an email telling me the transaction didn't go through due to tech problems. Yet in looking at my account page it said my card was charged. I replied that I still wanted the order to go through and inquired as to what I needed to do. I didn't hear from them for a few days but when I did I was amazed. The customer service person pushed the order through and apologized for their glitch and gave me a discount code worth 10% off ALL future orders. Think I am a customer for life now?

It's a company that 'gets' how brand experiences affect brand perceptions, and that they matter, and that even customer service impacts what I will think about relative to doing business with them again. I also think the company understands the power of brand advocates, as well as brand detractors, and figures a lifetime 10% discount is worth giving away for me to now tell everyone I know how impressed I was with them.

Smart move on their part because now I am a brand advocate for coffeeforless.com. And now you all know they exist. : )

We should always keep it in mind that everything we do for a brand affects perceptions and ultimately profitability. The old adage that brand decisions often come down to a matter of seconds on a site holds true. It's a shame that a brand could spend millions developing a killer product only to have it ignored because of a slow load time, a usability hiccup, lack of a value proposition, etc.

Point: Branded experiences matter. And every thing you do for a brand (client) matters.

And sorry, I can't give you the code.