Are Poor Experiences Damaging Your Reputation?

We use rechargeable batteries in our mice in the studio, however some dodo forgot to charge them and we had to open a pack of AA batteries… less than a day later I was needing to replace them again, and this got me thinking.

Now the batteries I inserted were Kodak. A well known brand for producing cameras, and to meet the need of supplying batteries with the cameras they sell, I can only assume that they introduced a line of batteries.

Yet, I believe they failed to look at whether the quality of the batteries would have a negative effect on their brand, as if the batteries didn’t last very long, what does that say about their cameras?!

I believe this philosophy with any brand product or service. Take Mercedes for instance; they have a wide variety of cars that all share the premium Mercedes badge, one that is well known and trusted. By choosing their entry level A Class, you can begin to experience what it feels to drive a Mercedes and I doubt you would be disappointed.

Then when you’re shopping for your next car, because of your positive experience, you are more inclined to spend more and buy the higher value C Class or GLC etc

There are lots of brands who provide a very wide variety of products that cross over into different industries, however they have been successful because they deliver the same core values and expectations. A positive experience.

Cut Price Deals Can Be Damaging Too, If Not approached correctly

Onto a negative experience on how it can be damaging. A restaurant advertised a steak meal for 2 on Groupon for £30, and I bought it as a gift for a family member. The retail price was far higher as you would expect or at least told it was meant to be.

The restaurant would no doubt be looking to turn a profit on this promotion and after feedback I was told that the meal was ready within minutes of their arrival. Bearing in mind that one of the two people didn’t eat steak and ordered chicken, I can only assume the meal was pre-cooked.

Anyway in a nutshell the feedback was there were not very happy with the meals and one actually refused to eat it, leading to the very negative experience. 

Spot The Mistake

2 people have left their restaurant likely never to return, in the process the restaurant sold themselves short on price, meaning that had to cut corners in which to deliver the end product with the focus of still earning money off the promotion. There’s the mistake.

The strategy should have been different, utilising Groupon as a loss leader and an advertising channel. The meal should have been prepared in the same way as their full price steak and the diners should have witnessed an everyday experience. If they had shared a positive experience I’m sure they would have returned to the restaurant and shared their great experience with their friends, family and social networks.

Provide Value. Be Consistent 

If choosing to heavily discount a deal on Groupon or other advertising channel, consider the reduced cost as part of the advertising spend and jump at the opportunity to demonstrate your value to a new flow of potential customers. Just because you give something away cheaply doesn’t mean you should lower the standard from what they expect.

Whether you are introducing a low-end product to function with your main product, try to focus on whether the product alone is good enough to have your stamp of approval. Focus on the brand experience and ensure that that experience is consistent throughout every aspect of the business.