DO WHAT IT TAKES TO WOW
ORCHESTRATING BRANDED MOMENTS OF TRUTH
by Rick Hendrie, President & Chief Experience Officer of Remarkable Branding
Branded Moments of Truth are points of interaction between staff and guests.
These experiences are the essential determiners of success—more so than price or physical appearances.
When I ask people to define moments of truth in their industries, most often, they suggest various points of human to human contact that makes up whatever they define as ‘service’ in their businesses. In fact, service is a misnomer for a far more complex exchange.
The crux of being a successful brand in the Experience Economy revolves around orchestrating Branded Moments of Truth not only into an exceptional exercise in service, but also a seamless brand story built by the geometric progression of staged—but authentic—moments. It is here, through this ever deepening, ideal relationship, that brand loyalty is forged.
According to neuroscience, a brand’s power is embedded in the amygdala and other primitive feelings-driven and desire-powered parts of the brain. Our feelings determine buying behavior and they are best stimulated by human to human interaction. Yet, ironically, to ‘put across’ these extraordinary kinds of truthful, branded theatrics, we depend on our hourly associates and least experienced managers to handle most of the ‘show time’.
In the words of New York Times reporter, Sandra Blakeslee, brand loyalty is created by “strong bonds with the guest… built one transaction at a time, involving face-to-face contacts.” And, in a not so surprising coincidence, we see the preponderance of turnover in both those ranks.
Blakeslee continues:
We rely on the lowest paid, least acknowledged, most vulnerable and most often abused associates to create—or fail to create—the emotional connections that lead to Brand Loyalty.
If we must count on these front line actors—who are most likely to leave or, at the very least, not give a hoot about you and your brand—then strategy must be focused on the select few moments that are most crucial to the brand. Pick your spots and make them count.
As a differentiating tactic, I’ve talked about the value of an experience that is book-ended by:
• Hello
• Welcome
• Thank You
• Goodbye
I can think of no buying experience I’ve ever had that included all four, let alone acted with appropriate brand flavour. Concentrate your actors on offering the Four Brand Moments of Truth as in Hello, Welcome, Thank You and Goodbye.
Make it their daily mantra with every guest; then measure, reward and reiterate that behaviour at every chance. Do this and you will be amongst the elite.
The fifth Branded Moment of Truth, defined as Doing What It Takes to WOW offers Olympian riches to those strong enough to risk the climb. This fifth moment incorporates every other moment of import between actor and guest, where you can move from merely pure bred to greatness.
Where are your moments encapsulated within this Fifth Brand Moment?
• Is it at the front desk after the guest has checked in?
o What if you actually had a senior manager take the guest to the room?
• What if your server actually knew something about both the menu a nd your best
brand attributes and shared it spontaneously with the guest?
• What about morning wake up calls?
o Are you offering a pre-recorded buzz on the phone or does a friendly
human being do the work?
• How about the valet or concierge?
o I often talk about a Ritz Carlton in the Caribbean that not only went out to
get a guest cold Guinness he craved during his stay, but ensured that his mini-bar was stocked with it upon his return the next month—WOW!
Source: Adapted from the Money Section, USA Today, Edition 9 March 2005
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