This went through my mind last night as I dined at Bonefish Grill, a national chain of fish and seafood restaurants. Our customer experience was minor but it does speak to the power of empowered brand trained employees who live their brand and those that don’t. Bonefish is in the latter category.

My friend ordered the sea bass. This item is offered in 6 and 8 ounce portions.  He ordered the smaller portion. The waiter, who offered exceptional service in every way, came back and told us that they had run out of 6 ounce portions and that he could order something else or accept the 8 ounce portion. My friend said he would accept the 8 ounce portion, but didn’t think he should have to pay for the larger order. The waiter agreed that this was something they should be able to offer and said he’d go to bat with management. That was that. Until his order was placed on the table that is.

My friend was given a piece of fish no more than 6 ounces. We were all somewhat surprised by this. He asked the waiter, “so…did they find a 6 ounce piece of fish” and the waiter said that they had taken a larger piece, took off 2 ounces and served what he ordered.

We all looked at each other in amazement. Someone in management would rather throw out 2 ounces of fish than unexpectedly delight the customer. We asked about this and the waiter said he was just as surprised and would get the general manager. Apparently the kitchen manager made the call.

The manager came over, was very apologetic about what happened, and handled it well.
But this was a huge missed opportunity to build the Bonefish brand with some regular customers! Rather than bring the customer a small extra serving at no additional cost, the kitchen manager only saw his job to live to the order.  He had no understanding on his role in creating a memorable experience for the customer, and thereby building the Bonefish brand with us.

We were filled to the gills, but our brand experience of Bonefish Grill was certainly, well, fishy…all because of two key missing ingredients. First, the waiter should have been empowered to do what it takes to satisfy the customer and build the brand. And second, the kitchen manager needs to know that, despite being behind the scenes, his decisions can impact customer’s brand touchpoints everyday. Will we go back to Bonefish? Probably. But our expectations of their brand are definitely lower.

MKE business center

As I got off of my flight, I walked through the concourse wondering where I could sit, plug in and work for an hour or two during my layover. I walked by a room near my gate called “Business Center.” The door was open, there was no staff and no membership fees to pay. Just a calm, clean, quiet room with carpeting and nice lighting, along with a lineup of ten cubicles. Each cube offered plugs, a working space and very nice office chair.

Happy kids make happy moms.

In the quiet space, way far away from the din of the concourse, I worked and worked. Nearby were bathrooms, newsstands, coffee shops and other amenities. I had everything I could possibly need. So did the mom’s across the concourse as they watched their kids play in a small but well executed play area. Business people getting work done. Happy moms. That’s putting their customers first. Impressive.

I propose that these simple amenities, being provided by the City of Milwaukee and their aviation board, are impacting the MKE brand in a positive direction. One that makes me think I’ll fly through here again soon if given the option. And one that builds their brand in my mind through this thoughtful touchpoint.

I wish other airports, including my own in Denver, had this level of progressive thinking. I also wish this type of innovation would be considered by the shopping center industry. Making the right decisions on behalf of customers is the first step towards rebuilding the industry in the hearts and minds of people it serves.

Today, I run a business that offers a solid blend of brand strategy, public relations, interactive/web, multicultural and creative/design services. But these areas of focus are blending, mixing, converging together at the speed of light. As clients’ needs become blended from traditional marketing to online visibility, so must we, as a service provider, be able to meet those needs. A PR advisor who knows how to pitch a story must also know how to develop a creative piece to support the story. The web developer must understand how a site will work to support the client’s online reputation. Social media is all the rage and is typically PR-driven, but the marketing strategists need to know when it makes sense to employ, as well. Print designers have to add online and interactive design to their repertoires.

As I see it, this is much more of an opportunity than a challenge. As long as we continue to focus on the client’s brand first, identifying their true distinction in the market, the rest follows suit. I’d much rather have a team with blended capabilities than individuals with a single focus. After all, why would someone hire a website-only company without considering the need for that site to be optimized online, to support lead generation and online social sentiment? We can address all of those things with a single brand voice.

Our challenge is to stay one step ahead of the speed of change and ensure that we are using all of the tools in the marketing and PR toolbox to ensure our clients get the results they need. As those tools evolve and new ones are added every day, we must stay abreast of them so we can do what we do best—create marketing and PR results as efficiently and effectively as possible. It’s not easy to stay current, but it sure is a fun, challenging and energizing time to be in this industry.

Whether selling home, office, retail or other real property, the marketing must first start with the brand. Questions to ask:

• What makes this place/product distinct, special, different?
• Whom is it for?
• How can we build momentum for it in the marketplace?
• How do we build our brand through every touchpoint?

To be sure, marketing metrics are important in helping to measure the effectiveness of any marketing and PR program. It’s simply my contention that these marketing programs will be more effective and create greater ROI when they are part of a strong, well-positioned brand.

At the bottom of the ad was the province’s logo and positioning tagline, which read:

British Columbia
The Best Place on Earth.

Now THAT, my friends, is a positioning statement that builds a brand, in this case a place. We believe the best brands come from within and are a reflection (or aspiration) of what makes that brand distinct. Well, the people (and government) of B.C. have said a lot here. They would like me to believe they live, work, play, grow and thrive in the best place to be on the planet. And they want everyone to know about it. That’s brand moxie backed up by unique selling propositions to support the message. It’s probably not too far from the truth.