I recently picked up a can of OregoN Bing Cherries at the store to bake a pie with. A new brand to me, I liked that the labels were a bit retro and unusual, and while scanning the back for recipes, I came upon this notice:
“We hope you don’t, but if you ever do find and Outlaw Pit in your cherries, just mail ‘em back (fully wrapped in light cardboard) with the code from the bottom of the can and this offer. We’ll send you a reward!”
On their web site, I noticed that raving fans have written in to report finding pits, in the tone of voice usually reserved for winning the lottery – or at least Bingo: “It was the most excitement since my heart attack last month almost!” writes one.
So, instead of chomping down on a pit and thinking, “I’ll sue,” consumers are celebrating: “Hooray, I just won a free can of fruit.” (About $4 of value, at current prices.) OregoN is saying, hey, we can’t really control the experience the consumers will have, since a certain percentage of pits will just slip past. This method (a) keeps people happy and in love with the brand, (b) tells OregoN approximately how many pits get past and (c) enhances the Western spirit of the brand with the whole “outlaw,” “reward” and cute cartoon.
Here’s what I recommend asking yourself: what experience does my customer have with my product or service that I can’t control (using your product or applying skills when you are not around, accessing your web site, calling your customer service line, etc.), and what things could go wrong that would endanger his or her relationship to my brand? What could I do to transform that experience into increased brand loyalty by rewarding them for telling me about it?
Related posts:
