A key indicator and area of focus in my work with clients – and one way I process the world of business – is through my experience of brands: how the experiences relate to their business strategies; how those strategies are also conveyed through other marketing efforts, such as corporate sponsorship, the ultimate experiential medium; and taking a look at any gaps. You learn a lot through these experiences, and when those experiences are positive, they really stand out.
Last month, for example, I traveled to Pittsburgh on business. The people with whom I was meeting took me to lunch at the fabulous new Fairmont Hotel. It's beautifully designed; we ate a delicious lunch; and two details really stood out for me.
Like many public spaces on a hot summer day, the air conditioning kept a nice chill throughout the building, including the restaurant. OK, actually, it was pretty chilly. Without missing a beat, the young woman who delivered bread and water to our table, who heard us mention the temperature, offered us light wraps. And she didn't mean sandwiches.
We were pretty impressed.
The other detail is just as heartwarming. A colleague pointed out and actually conducted a brief tour of exhibitions the hotel created of archeological artifacts it unearthed after breaking ground on construction of the new hotel. Little pieces of Pittsburgh – pottery, china, toys, glass trinkets, personal items from another era – were cleaned off and brought to life, telling a story in the heart of the Fairmont's public spaces. It struck me as a celebration of Pittsburgh by the hotel and a beautiful way for the new hotel to become entwined in the culture of its new home.
Another example is the best carwash in the whole world. It's here in Philadelphia. You'll never pay more to have your car wash and love every minute of it.
At the Spring Garden Car Wash, you get out of your car, explain to an employee which service you prefer, then they take it away. You walk indoors, through an aisle of automotive goods you never imagined existed, and through windows, just beyond the merchandise, you watch your car being lovingly scrubbed by a whole team. When it comes out the other side, another team dries it and cleans the windows, wipes the door frame, and has you on your way quickly.
The place is efficient, clean, friendly, and they do a great job. The business is clearly oriented around you, the customer and car driver. Their service experience builds instant trust, and therefore, you actually enjoy paying them 300% more for a car wash than to their competitors.
This afternoon I received a link to an article in the LA Times. Please, click on it because you won't believe the rest of my post without seeing it for yourself.
Turns out an Italian design and manufacturing company, called Aviointeriors, has created a new airplane seat designed "'to help an industry that is not making a profit.'" Yup. You read that correctly. That's a quote by a sales manager for Aviointeriors.
The airline seat, called SkyRider, is described as a "saddle." Who wants to saddle up for their next flight?
Looking at the photo, it looks more like a grown-up highchair. The good news is that the industry, which according to the article has suffered $58 billion losses since 9/11, will now be able to squish 40% more passengers onto flights.
Has anyone thought this through? Forty percent more passengers who can experience even greater discomfort? Forty percent more passengers who will all want to stay home, take the train, drive, or saddle up on a living horse to get somewhere instead of flying?
Who could make this up?
I am sympathetic to the airline industry, which has indeed experienced some major blows in operation because of 9/11. Somewhere along the line, however, a new strategy is needed, not quick fix tactics and definitely not a saddle.
