United breaks guitars

The moral of the story is – don't treat your customers like crap.

It's a simple rule but one that gets violated ad nauseam by companies that think that no one is paying attention.

United learned this recently thanks to the simple – but probably commonplace – destruction of an expensive guitar owned by a musician on his way from Chicago to Nebraska. I'm not going to link to it since it seems as though everyone has seen it.

I am going to link the BrandWeek article about it, offering 'brand lessons' from this episode. Now I admire the article's premise – there are things that can be done to mitigate these backlashes. A company is only as strong as their employees and when employees screw up – and they do – amends must be made.

But people can tell the difference between employee screw-ups, such as the case of a baggage handler training for a javelin event, and company policy, which stonewalled this musician for nine months, leading him to record and post the first of three videos designed to slaughter the company and increase his band's exposure ten-fold.

One piece of advice from the article was that United should record an apology, donate to various charities, give him a new guitar, and do other things showing that United is 'sincere.' Problem is I don't believe any of these gestures show sincerity. United hasn't apologized for the policy that is at the root of his problem. So those gestures are just that – gestures. The average person believes that the only reason United is sorry is that they got caught. Which is why I believe there is so much momentum behind this video. He speaks for millions of people who have been left holding destroyed baggage with little recompense other than a contrite 'sorry but we're not responsible for something that is in our care.'

Running an airline is expensive, especially now when margins are thin and the economy is weak. There will always be those trying to game the system to their advantage, which is why the policy exists. But rigidity breeds contempt and the public's love for the 'glamor' of flying is at record low levels, thanks to the various cuts and cope-outs practiced by many airlines. No airline is operating from a groundswell of high public opinion.

Episodes like these illustrate the old adage that started this post – don't treat your customers like crap.

The Microsoft next door

So Microsoft is opening their own branded stores. In many cases, the stores will be opened in close proximity to the incredibly successful Apple Stores.

On the face of it, it's smart. Microsoft has not shied away from going after Apple from a price standpoint and I applaud them for being aggressive.

However the problem that Microsoft has may not be solved by sticking their products in a snazzy casing. Let's face it. It's a Windows World. The majority of computers sold today contain Microsoft technology. One could argue that Microsoft has stores on every corner since retailers big and small sell Microsoft products. It's not for lack of exposure that the Microsoft brand is in trouble. It's lack of trust – Microsoft products are robust but also seen as complicated and insecure. A retail presence doesn't negate the user's experience at home or in the office.

Before Apple Stores were created, Macintosh products were often sold in dirty dingy strip mall stores that had limited appeal. It was a horrible customer experience and a far cry from picking up a tower or a laptop at the nearest CompUSA, where there was a broad selection of both software and hardware. It must have annoyed Apple to have so much work go into the product/industrial design only to have it marginalized in retail.

Personally the only way that I think the Microsoft stores will be successful is if they take on the role of product support. It's no secret that the Apple Stores are now the primary touchpoint between the user and technical support. Being able to take your device in and talk to someone about your problem goes a long way to improving customer satisfaction, an issue in the tech space.

If Microsoft is willing to shoulder the responsibility of tech support, then I think it will be a successful endeavor. But if the sole purpose is to show up Apple and turn the Microsoft store into a product museum, then I wonder what the difference is between a Microsoft store and the beautiful but essentially useless Nokia store in Chicago.

What is the consumer problem that they are solving? I can think of several but I'm not sure they will be solved by a storefront. Time will tell.

I want to be a dolphin

For roughly $50,000, you can be a dolphin, thanks to the new craft called the Seabreacher. You need to check out the website, which has YouTube video of it in action. You can jump out of the water, spiral, submerge. Pretty much the closest thing to being a fish or water mammal available today. I imagine this will be popular with hotels in the Caribbean. I know I'd rent one.

Hat tip [Toxel]

Urban farm

One topic that seems to arise over and over again when discussing 'green' is self-sufficiency. Particularly urban self-sufficiency. This usually takes the form of agriculture integrated into the urban environment. In New York, this has been present for a while. I now live in the East Village and I'm amazed how many gardens and farms there are throughout this area.

This company, Plantagon, sees an entire building devoted to the production of food and other forms of plant life. This dome will have a circular internal layout to ensure that almost every plant will get direct sunlight. I think it's quite an interesting solution.

I am generally for this but it seems a little far fetched to me. These are all in the heart of the city and the land will cost a fortune to procure. I do like being able to add farmer/gardener to the list of professions that one can do in the city. Cities need a strong blue collar workforce.

Hat tip [ArchDaily]

Deposit via iPhone

A bank in West Virginia (!) is the first to offer iPhone bank deposits. Using the camera, one can take a picture of the check and voila. The bank uses one's mobile number as part of the authentication process. It's pretty amazing and I hope more will be on the way.

To be honest, remote deposits are still the stuff of dreams for most people. I figured scanner deposits would be here before the iPhone path would be taken.

Hat tip [Net Banker]

Love

Love is splendid

Love is cruel

Love is torture

Love plays the fool

Love hides in the bushes

Love is right in front of you

Love is inches from the sun

Love is quicksand

Love is simple

and complicated

and innocent

and evil

Falling in love

Falling out of love

C'est le même chose

Ma coeur est froid

Binnenstebuiten

Buitenstebinnen

Love's dying breath

Love has passed

On

Connections

I've been thinking a lot about connections lately. Why we have them and what happens when we don't. I think it would be cool to do an essay / white paper on connections.

I am feeling in a scholarly mood as I'm thinking of returning to get my Master's degree. Cultural anthropology. I've even considered Library/information science. I have a good friend that just finished her M.I.L.S. Both take my research career in different directions while staying grounded in the hunt for information.

By blogging about it maybe I'll get my ass in gear.

Font Joy - Hachura

It's been a while since I've posted a font. I really like this one, Hachura. I love that it looks hand drawn while still hewing to traditional letterforms. Quite handsome.

Hat tip [Typography Served]

#22975 - Electronic ruler. The idea behind this rules is...

I think it's an interesting idea. I like the combination of the tactile and visual with the digital.

Sent to you via Google Reader

#22975 - Electronic ruler. The idea behind this rules is...

Electronic ruler. The idea behind this rules is combining values of a traditional ruler, with advantages of a digital interface.

(Want more? See NOTCOT.org and NOTCOT.com)

Michael Jackson redux

There's an excellent synopsis on how the media is treating Michael Jackson's life and death. I advise you to read it if you can. It references nearly every angle, including "how I met Michael," "what Michael meant to me," "what Michael meant to pop music" and so forth.

There is a comment on there that basically called the synopsis 'navel gazing.' I took offense and wrote the following response.

I haven’t read your blog regularly but I am going to start doing so from now on. I very much appreciate the thorough investigation into how the media is painting Michael Jackson’s life and death. I will pay closer attention to how this site treats other topics.

I fail to see how one could be in the media and not study all facets of it. That includes celebrities. By nature, it’s a field that requires the observation of how we consume information and entertainment. The media writing about itself is part of the job as new people and new modes gain influence and popularity.

Michael Jackson’s death was a significant global communications event that says more about how people consume information than pretty much any study out there. This write up really helps paint a great picture of what’s going on and what’s being said.

Thanks for your work on this. I really appreciate it.

I blame Marketing!

There's an interesting article in Advertising Age that places some of the blame of today's economic conditions on marketing. Before that sounds too far fetched, I think Rance Crain has a point, certainly in the example of General Motors he used. I think many of us have made these points with all of our clients at some point in time only for them to fall on deaf ears.

The money quote:

Citigroup wanted consumers to buy as many of its financial services as possible. But from a marketing point of view, this was impossible. Consumers didn't associate any of those financial services with a "bank." The perception Citigroup tried to create in consumers' minds was at odds with what a consumer perceived a bank to be.

General Motors tried to create an auto supermarket in every Chevrolet dealership. Any kind of car or truck a consumer might want to buy, they could find in a Chevy showroom.

Even worse, every other GM brand tried the same strategy. Any kind of vehicle you might want, Pontiac had for sale. So did Olds. And Buick. And Cadillac.

Both of these two companies had fundamental disconnects between their product strategy and their marketing strategies. In GM's case, they needed to crank out millions of cars to help pay for their investments in things like engines and powertrains. But instead of creating unique vehicles for each division, they made a few tweaks here and there and shoved a new nameplate on them. Of course consumers are not morons and saw right through it.

In my mind a brand is a promise. What makes Pontiac's promise any different than Chevrolet if they essentially offer the same thing? How does one buying one's insurance from Citibank benefit the consumer?

Ironically I have a bad feeling about Toyota. I've always been surprised at how willing they have been to mimic the former Big Three. The brand's reliability has managed to keep it out of trouble. But it doesn't take anything more than one well-publicized incident to cause a problem.