January 03, 2008

Customer Service? Don't Mention It

When have you ever seen a Nordstrom ad that mentioned customer service? How about Tiffany? The answer is never.

You never hear great service companies flogging their service in advertising. It's only the terrible service companies -- the electronics stores, the banks, the software makers -- who talk about their wonderful customer service.

Companies whose advertising strategy centers on "great customer service" are wasting their money. Consumers already know who has good service and who doesn't. Their experience is far more powerful than any ad.

Exceptional customer service is a great business strategy -- and a terrible ad strategy. If you have to talk about it, we assume you can't deliver it.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE AD CONTRARIAN

No comments: