Links of Note: People, Passion and Customer Experience

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What delights me about the current evolution of marketing is how focused it is on people, passion and the customer experience, all highlighted in today's Links of Note.

A truly memorable customer experience isn't possible without people. Right? People who put their heart and soul into delivering or sharing or communicating a message/product/ service. They relentlessly pursue a vision with passion to create an overall experience unlike any other, with relevant meaning and a story to tell.

From Tim Girvin - mesmerizing storyteller [I introduced you to him in Tim Girvin - Trends in Story, Brand and Experience Design] who weaves the stories behind brands in with the meaning of words, the context of the original story, and the people who breathe life into those brands - I share with you these links of note:

• Human Brands | The power of the feminine | retail gurus: Geraldine Stutz and Dawn Mello describes two passionate human brands who shaped style and retail, developing concepts and forging relationships that redefined the customer experience.
  

• Neil Fiske | Eddie Bauer and seeking the heart of brand story read carefully the 3 points Girvin makes about the retail proposition. And, further down, note that "as with any brand story, simplicity is key to the telling - people want stories that they can tell; and if they're too complicated, it's harder for the community to bridge and ripple out the telling."
  

• Bonus: check out Brand Culture | The Spirituality of TATA. Have you thought about the meaning of the word 'culture?' and how that relates to your organization?
  

Grant McCracken, fascinating cultural anthropologist, writes about Consumers in a downturn: a new consumer habit, outlining the range of consumer possibilities as we weather the economic storm [Note that he refers to the same Fiske mentioned above.]. Regardless of the motivation, the quality of your people and the passion they exude as they interact with customers can only benefit your experience.

Experience Matters describes the Word of Mouth Marketing Summit 2008: Zappos’ Case For Customer Experience as a Core Competency. Talk about focusing on the customer experience and making that a core part of company culture.

Finally, an extremely grounding post written in 2005 from Leigh Duncan Durst's LivePath Customer Experience Blog: Five Experience Fundamentals.

1. Deliver the basics.
2. Diversify with discipline
3. Wear the customer's shoes [yes!]
4. Create and engage in ritual
5. Authentically humanize the brand.

The Retail Customer Experience matters. And the best way to ensure a memorable one is to have the right people who feel as passionately as you do, with the right culture and a simple, memorable brand story that all can believe in.

Do you agree?

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