“I’m not referring to a brand as a logo and a typeface. I’m referring to the new kind of brand, the one is formed by the entire experience of a customer’s interaction. That experience gets branded into his or her memory and leaks into the buzz of modern culture. If you can’t make a good customer experience from start to finish, you’ve failed to generate brand value that will attract customers to come back for repeat business and tell their friends to come back, too. That’s how good customer experience directly affects the bottom line.” —
The days of slapping something shiny on the surface and calling it Tasty Pancakes! are long gone.
As this sad but oh-too-true tale of branding and UX misadventures at AA.com shows, Big Business still doesn’t get it. The prime directive of pretty much every service business should be to provide an extraordinary customer experience. And yet not only do they not—they’re structured to make that nearly impossible.
From an excellent email exchange and commentary between an AA.com UX employee and the author, a UX designer named Dustin Curtis. (on Curtis’ site, via gruber)
“Regarding those who challenge and hold you accountable, only one friend is needed for this job. He must be a person with a lot of character. He is yourself. You may find him critical or cranky at times, but he means well. Leave your other friends to keep track of themselves. They’re probably too self-occupied to worry about you, anyway.” — Damn, I love that Robert Genn.
Sweet mother of pearl.
What an extraordinary beauty Bergman was. And I’m pretty sure it’s at least partly because she was so kind and true, through and through. Knew what mattered. Did what mattered, and screw what the world thought about it.
Maybe the best testimonial is that she seems to have raised some pretty terrific children. Not too many women as beautiful as Isabella Rossellini who don’t seem to take themselves too seriously.
I’m pretty happy with the mom I got, but if I had to pick another, Ingrid would be tough to beat. I mean, for the cheekbone genes alone.
(If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger)
[video]
[video]
Of course I am at the top of the poop chain.
Of course…
Welcome to the Social; Light a Match
Already finding many uses for Google Social Search.
Hive mind, right?
(n.b.: opt in then click the image above to find your friends’ poop.)
“I liked what a film school teacher told a friend of mine: “Everybody tells you that for every job that opens in the film industry, 500 people will apply for it. What they don’t tell you is that out of those 500, 490 will be idiots. The trick is not to be an idiot.” — Professional writer Justine Musk in a post about what it takes to make it as a professional writer, from what has rapidly become one of my fave blogular reads. (thanks again, Ben)
“Abby is ADORABLE. But you know what would make her more adorable? If she was Nathan Lane at 3 a.m. on a Saturday night.”
—James Gunn on the Photoshopping of Mother’s Precious Pageant Pearl (via Spencer Cross, via BoingBoing)
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“The lessons here: Do keep track of your money, try to live within your means, avoid debilitating addictions if at all possible and, for the nonce at least, try to have decent health insurance. That’ll help you keep your cash as a writer, whether you’re making $24,000 a year from your writing, or $500,000.” — John Scalzi, wise words for writers and other erratically paid artists from peeping at F. Scott Fitzgerald’s old tax returns (via Lisa Sonora Beam)
And when your sign
Decides to rhyme,
You’ll find its efficacy
To have been decreased
By a significant measure,
Please enjoy the poop!