Near my apartment in San Francisco there is a small dry cleaning shop. It’s a family run business that has been around for a while. What makes this particular dry cleaning shop different is that they have a large sticker posted on their window that says “We ‘heart’ our customers.” I actually wanted to take a picture of the sticker but didn’t have my camera on me.

The sticker is actually much more than just a sticker, it’s a branding tool, it’s the shop’s identity. Think about how powerful that is. This is shop that is saying they love all of their customers, regardless of how picky, finicky, rude, or snarky they may be. Imagine if large companies said they loved all of their customers and really made this a part of their mission and brand identity. Do you think we would get better customer service and support? I think we would. But think about how the company stands to benefit. Loyalty is a powerful concept. If a company/brand told you they loved you (and treated you as such) would be loyal to them? I sure would.  If you were in the market for a dry cleaning service and came across one that said they love their customers would you begin using their service?  I would

What can you do to show your customer that you love them, to make them feel like you actually care, to make them feel like you appreciate their business? Remember there are a lot of companies/brands out there that people can choose from, yet they chose you.

Do you love your customers?

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Recently I flew on Virgin America airlines from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I haven’t flown on Virgin American in a long time and I was pleasantly surprised and impressed. There are a lot of airlines out there that we can all choose to fly on and in fact I usually just fly on Southwest Airlines. This time I decided to try something different (mainly because the Southwest option just didn’t fit what I needed). Now out of all the airlines that you have heard about or have flown on do you identify with any of them? Have any of the airline branding or marketing messages really reached you? Do you even remember how a particular airline branded itself?

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What are the most important factors that go into successful brand building. Actually, let me rephrase that. What is the most important factor that goes into successful brand building. Do you think it is your tag line, offerings, image, reputation, etc? Fifty years ago building a brand was much different than it is today. Fifty years ago companies relied on mass media such as television and radio to get the word out. Fifty years ago there was no yelp! there was no internet for us to look up product reviews and there was no social media.  Fifty years ago companies launched a massive attack on our attention, we were bombarded with radio ads and television ads.  People were being dumped into the top of the funnel, and many of us exited the bottom as customers.  Do you really think this still works today?

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Recently an article was published by abc news about a luxury hotel in London that has a water menu, that’s right, a menu filled with various brands of water from around the world. The most expensive one on the list? $42 a bottle.

This, however isn’t the amazing thing. The amazing thing is that when the management of the hotel was interviewed they said “We wouldn’t do this unless there was a demand for it.” This means that people are actually asking for calcium rich, low sodium, deep sea, filtered water.

Remember when water was free?

One of the most abundant and plentiful resources found on Earth has now become the largest marketed commodity on the planet.

A “water bar” in Chappaqua, N.Y. apparently serves bottled water for $55! The owner says he sells round 80 different types of bottled water.

I suppose this shouldn’t come of as much of a shock, after all we already have Oxygen bars.

I am willing to bet that if we blindfolded a handful of these “water connoisseurs,” that they would never be able to tell the difference between the brands of water.

The brand of water that you drink speaks volumes about who you are. Do you drink a brand that contributes to charity?, do you drink mineral water?, do you drink sparkling water? Does your water have extra oxygen in it?

If you were a brand of water what kind would be? And how much would you charge?

Do you currently have a free product or service that you can begin charging for?

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