Back to basics

 by: Petra Despot, brand consultant

It’s amazing to see how much money certain brands invest in promotion and advertising, and yet they seem to fail at the most basic encounter with the consumer. 

You can see it happening almost every day. Telecommunication companies with inspiring and costly TV commercials airing in prime time, with at the same time their customer support being utterly unprofessional and unpleasant. Restaurants situated in great locations serving excellent food, with staff that couldn’t care less about the customers and their experience. Beauty parlors investing heavily in promotion on collective shopping sites, while at the same time not satisfying minimum hygienic conditions in their salons.

You can develop the most amazing campaign and invest a lot to promote your brand, but if you fail at the basics, the consumer almost never forgives and forgets.

It works the other way around, too. You may not be the leader when it comes to promotion, but if you take good care of the basics, such as treating your customers with respect, they will certainly know how to appreciate it. Offering just that extra something for the same price has turned out to be a winning formula for many brands - small and big.

One of my favorite examples of a big global brand giving something extra to its consumers is Lego. In each Lego set there are always a few extra bricks. By doing this, the company saves on possible returns, but also gives an extra reason for joy to numerous kids finding those extra pieces.

In Croatia, such examples can often be found at some least expected places, like small bakeries and local restaurants. A few pleasant words with the owner or an extra dessert can do wonders for their business. A small bakery chain called Dinara is my favorite Croatian example. Pleasant vendors that greet their customers kindly and always give them something extra like a small freshly baked croissant are Dinara’s biggest assets.

Lego and Dinara have one great thing in common - when running the Google check on both brands, you can find numerous satisfied customers sharing their positive experiences. Dinara may be a small brand, but it can serve as a benchmark to a number of big corporate brands.

It can start with small things, such as a friendly chat or an unexpected gift to your customer’s purchase. No matter the size of the company, the brand should never forget to take care of its basics.