One of our team is a breakfast connoisseur – this tale started with her adoration of a ready-made breakfast cereal. It was mouth-wateringly delicious and she’d been a fan of the ‘appealing and friendly’ brand for some time. They created new packaging with simple instructions to prepare your meal… but there was an error – and quite a fundamental one. A quick email was sent mentioning her passion and pointing out the mistake. She was expecting a personal, in-tune and upbeat response – mirroring the brand’s character – how wrong was she?! Her ‘lovely’ brand sent a corporate and quite cold reply generated from off-the-shelf paragraphs. Not an iota of personal intervention or a taste of the brand’s personality. Her perception of the brand was damaged. 

FOR EVERYONE WHO ENGAGES WITH A CUSTOMER, THEIR APPROACH AND MANNER SHOULD REFLECT YOUR BRAND PERSONALITY AND WHAT IT STANDS FOR

From an ardent fan to Mrs Disappointed, her loyalty quashed and the engagement remembered – all for the wrong reasons.  
 
A brand’s reputation is its currency. The personality, DNA and values must align across all activities. Get it right and your currency remains strong. And that must include every inch of the customer’s journey – the discovery, the purchase, the experience and the after-care.  
 
It might have only been a standard response to a customer, but those few words, with just a little more time and effort, could have cemented her loyalty and love for the brand.  
 
So, take time to bring your entire team into the brand’s fold: 

• Check and test every step of the customers’ journey and touch points 
• Review and evolve your internal brand information/education tools 
• Make your brand reputation an everyday mission. Not just a one-off task. 
  
For everyone who engages with a customer, their approach and manner should reflect what your brand stands for.  
 
In relation to ‘cerealgate’; a personal touch with a ‘thank you for caring’ response would have done the job. The cereal remains delicious but with an aftertaste of resignation and the mistake remains on the packaging. She now often spends her breakfast budget elsewhere!