wairarapabusinessshowcase

Everyone In A Company Is Either Benefiting, Or Hurting, the Brand

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 11:32:46 GMT

A Brand Is A Customer's Experience with Your Company; It's Your Reputation

Brand ing expert and multiple-times best-selling author (including of 'The Brand Gap' and 'The Branding Flip'), Marty Neumeier, explains what a brand IS and what a brand IS NOT.

"A brand is not what a lot of people say it is," Neumeier points out. "It's not a logo. A logo is a very useful tool for business, but it's not a brand. it's (just) a symbol for the brand.

"A brand is not a product ( per se ).

"Some people say a brand is a promise the company makes to the customer . . . and there's some truth in that. But that's not (all it is)."

A brand IS A RESULT.

"A brand is a result.

"So a brand is your business reputation.

"And if you don't start there, you don't know what you're doing.

"What's the reputation we're creating (out in the marketplace)?

"Almost everyone in the company is doing something either for the brand, or they're hurting the brand."

An Outstanding Example of Proactive Customer Service

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 11:29:11 GMT

'Little Things' (the Right Things) Maketh the Organisation Great

As I will say, over and over again: It's the accumulation of "little things" that build goodwill and customer loyalty.

Several days ago, I made a purchase at Life Pharmacy in Masterton. The counter assistant advised me that I had a good number of redeemable "points" accrued on my "Living Rewards" card . . . one of the very few loyalty card programs I participate in - because it's actually worth it, and (in this particular category) I don't care too much if some data-farming outfit records how much cleanser, moisturiser, conditioner and packs of cotton wool I buy.

So that was nice. It lopped quite a chunk off the tally of that day's purchases.

But here's what was truly impressive. The same store assistant phoned me the next morning.

"Good morning, Jordan," she says. "I hope I haven't rung too early? I just thought I'd let you know I noticed just after you left that your remaining points expire next week . . . I don't want you to miss out on using them."

Now, isn't that nice ? And isn't it a personal service modus operandi you'd want to encourage in your store staff, if you were the owner or franchisee? I certainly would.

You see, one small act of caring and extra-mile service like that, goes a long way. And, perform such acts regularly, and the positive impact on how your customers view you (and want to patronise your outlet) becomes cumulative .

Whether an organisation is large or small, that's how customer base goodwill and brand loyalty is built: one good experience at a time.

Consistency is Key in Ensuring Top-Notch Customer Service Reputation

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 11:24:28 GMT

Good Customer Service, Without Consistency, Isn't Good Customer Service

No company or organisation can claim to provide excellent (or even, 'good') customer service, unless that standard of service is provided across the entire enterprise, and with a high degree of consistency .

There are two aspects to that consistency:

(1) A customer service culture i.e. consistency in service standards across the entire enterprise, and

(2) Consistency at the level of the frontline individual - every customer-facing individual.

If an enterprise has a customer-centric culture, it both encourages, and makes it easier, for the individual frontliner to provide top-notch customer service. It’s an attitude with which the entire organisation is infused, and all departments and teams comprising it.

It’s also an expectation from all levels of management. If it’s really working well, it’s a modus operandi shared within each and every peer group comprising the organisation - whether they be customer-facing, administrative, back-of-house, logistics-supporting, or whatever.

The same principle applies to each frontline representative of the organisation, at the individual level: If a customer-facing staff member or representative has “service” baked into their personal ethos, standards and personality, then their customer service performance is naturally high. It’s their personal default setting. Their natural centre of gravity.

When Organisational Culture & Individual Service Standards Are Misaligned

Flipping the above equation: It should be recognised that diligent, customer-focused frontliners can be challenged in their delivery of great service, if there’s inconsistency in the organisation’s internal messaging about customer service standards.

For example, let’s say a company’s brand messaging and broader forms of advertising lay claim to excellence in customer service. But that external messaging doesn’t match with the informal or invisible internal messaging within the company. One way of expressing this is that the enterprise pays lip service to providing high levels of customer service . . . but that's all it is, in reality: just lip service .

That organisation takes this risk (among others): It may have attracted frontline personnel with great attitudes and high personal standards in customer service, lured by the customer service messaging featured in its advertising and other forms of brand profiling to the marketplace. But it ends up with disgruntled and morale-eroded personnel, as those same, originally high motivation hires realise the reality of their new workplace. As time goes on, they feel increasingly unappreciated for, and unsupported in, the effort they expend in servicing the organisation’s customers. Worse still, they might even feel denigrated for it by other, less motivated personnel who don’t wish to stand out against the higher standards of their more diligent colleagues.

So, this scenario ultimately plays itself out where either:

(a) there is a disparity between the degree of customer-centricity in frontline personnel (as a collective) and that of the organisation’s back-of-house / administrative support / managerial staff forces.

There’s a constant tension. It’s particularly evident, and particularly unhealthy, when frontline staff and representatives give undertakings to customers, and both the frontliner and the customer are subsequently let down by a lax or uncommitted performance by those personnel in the background whose role it had been to ensure the promise was delivered upon.

(b) there are significant disparities in attitudes and personal modus operandi between the various customer-facing personnel.

This is the scenario in which it is most evident to the customer. On one occasion, they'll call, visit or make some other form of contact and come away having had a good or at least, a satisfactory, experience. But the next time might prove to be a very different, and far less satisfactory, experience. And unfortunately for the organisation, its management and other upper-level interests, it's a combination of the worst experience and the most recent experience that lodges, often disproportionately, in the customer's memory.

All parties lose:

The customer is the immediate loser in this equation; they’re left frustrated over the absence of service or whatever other form of reasonable expectation they had or were given, that was not met.

The customer-centric frontliner is the other loser; they no longer have the same zeal for their role, and their relationships with their colleagues are strained. Their satisfaction with their employer is progressively eroded.

But the biggest, ultimate loser is the enterprise itself (unless it’s a government agency whose erstwhile presence and standards the “customer” is forced to tolerate).

Because, invariably, there’s a competitor waiting to welcome your disgruntled customer with open arms.

AI Usage in Marketing: 'Disclosure Responsible, Ethical & Expected'

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 11:06:41 GMT

AI & Robotics Expert Provides Commentary on Skinny's New 'Brand Ambassador'

I asked Jamie Munro - my UK-based friend and expert on all matters AI and robotics to comment on the upside, downside, ethics and general state-of-play around the use of AI in this low-price-specialist, youth-targeting New Zealand telco's marketing.

Here's his reply (noting that he's given consideration to explaining some background, for the benefit of my growing international readership):

Skinny is a mobile network provider based in New Zealand that has recently introduced an "AI brand ambassador".

In this case, Skinny has been able to "clone" a real person and use her likeness in a number of AI-generated adverts. Over the last few years, we have witnessed the "deepfake" phenomenon, in which AI technology has been able to generate increasingly realistic images of real people in fictional scenarios.

More recently, AI video generation has improved to the point where a similar thing can be done with videos.

Up until this point, much of the commentary has been focused on the negative impacts of this technology with, for example, reports of nefarious individuals using the technology to generate pornographic images of women without their consent and, by way of another example, manipulate public opinion with realistic but misleading content in the political sphere.

By contrast, Skinny provides an example of the positive applications of the technology. In its case, Skinny has been able "train" an AI video model to produce realistic video and imagery of the company's "brand ambassador", a customer called Liz. Once the model is trained, the marketing team at Skinny is able to rapidly generate "creative" of Liz in various different scenarios.

Cost Efficiencies Are Considerable

In interviews, Skinny compares the cost of getting the video model set up, to the cost of a traditional marketing campaign, pointing out that they now have the model permanently available, and can create new material quickly and cheaply. They are also able to use AI to rapidly test out a variety of ideas, a process that would be too costly without using AI. They emphasise that responsible and ethical usage of AI should include being very upfront, transparent and clear when dealing with AI-generated content.

In the coming years, businesses who are able to apply AI technology effectively will derive serious advantages over those still stuck in the past. Those willing to embrace the new technology in a thoughtful and responsible way will be rewarded with improved efficiency and productivity.

On the other hand, irresponsible usage of AI can be highly counter-productive. Consider the potential backlash if Skinny had used their AI brand ambassador without disclosing that she was generated using AI, and this later became public knowledge.

Consumer attitudes towards AI will change over time, and the usage of AI-generated content may eventually become so common that disclosure is unnecessary, but we are certainly not there yet.

Brand Loyalty, Customer LTI & Service Claridge's-Style

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:53:22 GMT

Lessons Abound Here . . . If the Broader Retail & Hospitality Sectors Want to Learn Them

Saturday night is my night to sit in front of my large-screen computer and treat myself to an evening of "mindless" YouTube videos. Last night, I chose this one: Claridge's - Inside the Hotel for the Super-Rich .

I thought it would interest me for about 30 seconds.

But I watched this 55-minute and 49-second documentary from beginning to end, captivated, and even drawing back the progress bar to re-watch a few segments.

Why? Because it contains SO many lessons for any operator in the broader retail or hospitality sectors (and I do mean, the very broadest definition of those sectors) that could turn an ailing business around in quick-time, make a new business go viral with online fan-commentary, increase share-of-wallet from an existing customer base . . . and, most definitely, send customer LTV (Life-Time Value) through the roof.

I know what you're thinking. What lessons can possibly be translatable from a historic and elitist icon of London's hotel scene, to any small business in little ol' NZ . . . right?

PLENTY.

There's the example of the 80-something Californian couple who have spent their annual holidays at Claridge's every year for the past 40. The documentary shows the delighted elderly pair unwrapping a silver tray that had arrived ( at their home in California ) from the manager and their favorite butler at Claridge's, with engraving congratulating them on their 65th wedding anniversary.

And there's the example of the completely unflappable management team who customised the decor and trimmings of an entire floor of the hotel for a large group of foreign visitors, after researching their personal tastes . . . before the booking had had its final confirmation, and with the group two days late in turning up.

Then there's the woman who refuses to stay at any other hotel because of the treatment her dog (who's not only allowed to stay at the hotel, but receives his own special welcome) receives - which includes having his own bedding and bowls kept in storage at the hotel between visits, and being walked personally by her appointed hotel butler.

Again . . . I can hear the cynical cogs turning: You realise, Jordan, that these elite clientele pay upwards of 5000 British pounds a night, right? It's about the money, J-o-r-d-a-n.

NOT SO FAST.

No, it's about more than the money. Watch it and you'll see what I mean. It's about custom, attitude and all-round graciousness . If you take the time to watch, the extraordinary class and graciousness of the staff - most especially the general manager - can hardly escape your attention.

The customised redecoration of the rooms and installation of a jacuzzi to appease an expected pop star, and the expense of having a guest's favourite food item always at hand just in case they should order it on that day . . . all that is hard cost. Yes. Granted.

BUT . . . the graciousness, class, diplomacy and attentiveness of the staff costs nothing but good staff selection processes and a culture fostered and ingrained by management example.

And still I hear the protestations of the cynical amongst you: They have a HUGE pool of potential employees to draw from, and they probably pay them a mint. To say nothing of the tip culture in elite hotels.

And still I say to you, that the management example and expectation of graciousness, class, and personalised attentiveness either costs a business nothing . . . or, at most, is a soft cost.

Let me give you a couple of classic examples.

What, today, are two businesses you expect the very lowest levels of customer service from? Think about it.

I'll tell you: Supermarkets and "servos" (I'll refrain from calling them "service stations" - coz there ain't a lot of service going on at the average BP or Z petrol fill-up mega-joint).

Now here are two examples of extraordinary service from my everyday life that cost the two businesses in question NOTHING to provide . . . but keep me going back to them intentionally, specifically, and loyally , when I could choose to go to any of their competitors at any time. But, where the choice exists, I will always, ALWAYS go out of my way to patronise these businesses.

Example No. 1:

This example is one of a humble but extraordinary little service station ("Adamsons") in Featherston in the Wairarapa Valley (and I will call this one a service station, because it deserves the title). I live in Masterton, but if I'm ever planning a trip to Wellington, I'll drive around town for a week on near-empty just so that I can fill up there.

Why?

Last Thursday I had a dentist appointment in Wellington. I hadn't been to Wellington for several months. Quite unusual. I arrived, on empty, and got out to go into the shop and see if my regular guy was there to fill me up (I loathe the smell of petrol). I didn't need to. Another guy was already unscrewing my petrol cap, waiting with a smile for me to instruct him on which petrol to fill the tank with. I entered the shop and my regular guy was standing at the counter and greeted me with an enormous smile and a friendly comment about how long it's been since they'd seen me.

Did that cost them a cent to make me feel so incredibly special? Not a razoo. And here I am writing a testimonial that my several thousand readers will see, and that they can share with any of their customer base. So that's a pretty good ROI for a smile and a personal fill-up, isn't it? Get my point? You never know who your next customer is - or even who your existing customers are (or who they talk to) - in many cases. But the chances of their LTV being worthwhile to your business is always pretty jolly high.

Example No. 2:

I refuse to drink fluoridated water. So I drink a very nice mountain spring water that's casked by a manufacturer whose management, in my opinion, is contemptuously dismissive of customer feedback . The customer feedback I'm talking about is something you can read about here .

Given my refusal to risk my kitchen floor being the recipient of another 10 litres of water from the bursting-off of a tap from an ill-positioned foil bladder within a cardboard cask, I ask the staff at Moore Wilson speciality-and-bulk grocery outlet in Masterton if they will take the risk on my behalf. They've done it so many times for me, that recently I've begun giving them a call beforehand to give them a heads-up . . . since I can see from the fact that they've had to rip open and reassemble and re-tape the casks after fossicking around for the ill-fitting taps inside the boxes, that they almost always have the same battle with the packaging that I had . . . and it's somewhat time-consuming.

Not only is there never an ounce of reticence to help me out in this manner, but - in fact - the casks are usually awaiting my arrival in a trolley at the end of the check-out they've normally observed that I go through at the conclusion of my shops there.

Yesterday, I had a question about a product. The knowledgeable young bloke on the check-out called over (the manager?), introduced me by my full name, explained my query, and asked her to take me over to the relevant area of the store, and give me detailed assistance. Nice. And the cost to Moore Wilson? A few minutes of the staff member's time . . . who was walking the floor anyway.

Now for an example of totally crap service, with no excuse.

Farmers Department Store: Be Ashamed. Be Very Ashamed.

I mentioned I'd been in Wellington for a dentist appointment last Thursday. Said dentist (he's great, BTW, and a review may be forthcoming at some point) has one of his two clinics on Lambton Quay.

So I'm walking past Farmers on the way back to my vehicle. And I realise, hey, I could do with a few items. And I go into scout around for them. And I pass multiple groups of uninterested floor staff in entertaining discussions with each other . . . completely oblivious to "their" customers.

It's usual for Farmers, so I don't take too much notice. Just their crappy expected environment. But I did need to ask for the help of one staff member, when I was on the hunt for an elusive black beanie or beret or something of that ilk. Sure, she helped me out . . . but the lack of enthusiasm or friendliness was palpable. Palpable to the degree that my own attempts at friendly banter left me feeling demoralised and a bit silly. I wish I hadn't bothered.

And here's the thing. We have a struggling retail environment. Farmers had more floor staff than customers on that evening, and a bus stop full of people who'd just knocked off work, dangling around outside.

Can't Farmers' management see what's wrong with that picture?

Clearly not. And I rest my case. It's a wonder they're still trading. Probably only still trading because of the prime location and the institution-value of the household-name brand. Imagine how much better they could do with a better customer service culture. Or just some actual customer service.

Anyway, I never intended this to be such a long article. But it never ceases to amaze me how utterly simple and phenomenally profitable it is to provide good customer service and personalised attention . . . no matter the business or size thereof. And how few business operators - large or small - recognise this glaringly obvious fact.

Customer Service Gold, Customer Service Platinum . . . and Customer Service EXTRAORDINARY

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:35:59 GMT

If I owned a retail business, I'd hire these two away in a heartbeat . . .

You know that type of customer service that you experience every once in a blue moon and never forget?

Well here's a couple of customer service pros, that I hesitate to call 'pros', for the sole reason that they're just doing what clearly comes naturally to them.

But these two are SO far beyond even the "gold standard" it's hard to know where to start in genuinely complimenting them.

Isaac At the Rosebowl Cafe

In Feilding for a veterinary visit with my little dog, I'd bought him some food and realised I hadn't brought his travelling bowl. I'd just availed myself of some tasty sandwiches in my favourite stop in the town - the Rosebowl Bakery & Cafe - and, a bit gingerly, went back in to see if they'd help me out with a takeaway container to decant my little guy's food into.

What an extraordinary customer experience that otherwise simple exercise turned out to be:

Isaac, one of the younger assistants there, didn't treat the request in the largely throw-away manner you'd probably expect such a request would be treated: Like, "Sure, here you go." Or, "OK, but we charge 50 cents for our containers." That's been the standard response on the odd occasion I've been in a situation where I've made a similar request elsewhere.

No, no. Not Isaac. I was a customer . And clearly, in his mind, a customer has very specific needs, and regardless of the size or nature of the request, a customer's needs should be properly identified and satisfied with diligence. Which is exactly what he went about doing . . . as I co-operated in a somewhat startled state, with his incredibly insightful questions.

How big is your dog? What volume of food are you going to be decanting into the container for him? If I give you this one, or this one (pointing out two options), which one will he be able to reach into better? OK, wait there, he says.

He returns with the two options. But now . . . there's more detail and diligence to come: How big is the can? If you don't decant the whole can for him for this meal, would it be better to have this takeaway container here? Because you can put the whole can itself into this one, and it also has a better lid, and that means the car won't get reeked out on your long drive home. What do you think, he asks?

Well, I hadn't thought that deeply into it, but as I drove home with half a can of uneaten dog food in a perfectly sized container with a well-fitting lid and thus a non-stinky car, you can be sure I did think about it at that point.

Even remarkably, I had assumed Isaac must have been a dog owner himself. No, he said, he wasn't. He was just thinking through the situation.

And then I pulled out my wallet to pay. No, no, he said, "we have plenty of containers out there; no need, just happy to help. Have a safe drive back."

What can I say? What an extraordinary asset to a customer-facing business of any type . . . and most especially one like a high-traffic cafe a la the very impressive Rosebowl.

And now to Claire at The Warehouse.

Claire has a smile that wouldn't just light up a room . . . it lights up her entire surrounding environment at Masterton's The Warehouse.

Whenever I've encountered her, I've thought, "Oh, there's that smiling lady again."

There's a human warmth to this equally extraordinary service staff member. And a very high degree of conversational intelligence.

Claire is the staffer for whom no request for help is a big deal or too much bother. To the contrary, Claire is the team member who won't just tell you that what you're looking for is "in Aisle No. 10". She wouldn't dream of it. She'll put down what she's doing and walk you straight there . . . and she won't leave you until she's helped you more specifically with what you want.

I went to get a pair of slippers last night. The dickety little hangy thingy they were all on had me completely constumpled trying to get my incorrect size rejects back on them and back on the hook they came off. So I did my best, failed, gave up, and left them neatly against the shelving.

Approaching a nearby staffer from behind as she stacked a shelf, I intended to draw her attention to said unhung slippers.

Swinging around with her trademark twinkling mile-wide-smile (before even seeing who she was about to stand facing, or knowing what they wanted i.e. I could have been any grump or gronk), I saw it was "the smiling lady".

Said smiling lady (who I now know as "Claire") then proceeded to thank me profusely for "my kindness".

My kindness? Yes, she said, thank you so much!

Well I never.

And then (something to the effect of): "Do you need any help with anything else?"

And then a brief, friendly and very intelligent chat sparked by something to do with said item, before encountering her in another part of the store, and having her offer again to help me with another item, on which she provided an insightful commentary that I much appreciated.

Think About It From An Employer's Perspective

I'm always a bit reticent to go on like I sometimes do about what some readers might consider a mundane, everyday experience.

But think of this from the perspective of an employer, many of whom I am acutely aware really have their work cut out for them, getting and ensuring genuinely good staff.

You'd imagine they'd really appreciate this commentary . . . and you'd imagine any employer suffering the either short-term or long-term pain of less-than-optimum customer-facing staff, would also read this commentary with great envy - and a sincere wish that they had customer service pros like Isaac and Claire on their payrolls.

Style Collective

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:05:07 GMT

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