Honda Celebrates the Individual Customer; Is This the Right Strategy?

When news of Morton’s "airport surprise" went public several months ago, it was hard to not to smile.

Far too often, we read about brands "unintentionally" Tweeting offensive remarks out to their followers. We hear about restaurants and retail establishments grossly dropping the ball on customer service.

Here was an example of the opposite. A high-end chain restaurant not only read an airline passenger’s joke Tweet about a craving for a Morton’s steak; it actually showed up at his arrival airport with the very Porterhouse he desired. That, pundits argued, is what customer service is all about.

Was it, though? A closer look revealed that the recipient of the steak was Peter Shankman, a well-known online blogger and commentator with a strong social following. An elephant suddenly walked into the room: what seemed like an entirely customer-centric, entirely good-hearted gesture now appeared to be a clever, calculated marketing tactic.

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In discussing the "United Breaks Guitars" video, Call Center IQ actually referenced the Morton’s story in a discussion about whether the rise of social media has spurred a culture driven by fear and popularity or a culture focused on customer-centricity. The Morton’s story seems more consistent with the former—the restaurant chain was giving preferential treatment to a customer it knew could get the word out; it was not necessarily improving its practices.

But cynical perspective or not, the Morton’s story epitomizes the "moment marketing" strategy that has taken social media by storm. Instead of simply using social media to calmly respond to customer inquiries and put forth general messages about a commitment to overall satisfaction, some brands are identifying specific opportunities to "wow" individual customers. Assuming the news of these specific engagements goes viral, millions of existing and potential customers will be exposed to tales of customer experience excess and hopefully conclude that the brand in question really, really cares about its customers.

More generally, these "anecdotal marketing" endeavors represent attractive new means of raising brand awareness. Instead of using the same old commercials and banner ads, marketers can parlay the viral spread of "fun" customer anecdotes into unparalleled exposure and the kind of content users want to share.

Especially relevant is the fact that these campaigns focus on the experiences of real customers, which from a credibility standpoint, can be far more meaningful than those reliant on heavily-scripted dialogue uttered by indifferent celebrity spokespersons.

AdAge recently profiled three brandsthat utilized individual anecdotes to transcend the usual limitations of brand marketing. Undoubtedly effective at getting the word out, some question still exists over how instrumental these types of efforts are in shaping perception about customer-centricity.

Honda – Upon learning that Joe LoCicero was about to make good on an attempt to drive his 1990 Accord a million miles, the automaker arranged an elaborate parade for the gentleman in his hometown. The parade, which included a marching band, stilt walkers, floats and congratulatory airplane messages, required nine weeks of planning.

In the end, though, footage received hundreds of thousands of YouTube views, creating immense goodwill with customers. In addition to showing that it knows how to make a long-time customer feel special, Honda also benefited from the opportunity to show just how durable its automobiles can be.

British Airways – As part of a campaign to highlight the experiences of individual customers, the airline came across Shona Owen, a woman who was born on a flight in 1991. The company celebrated her birthday with a free first-class ticket to Australia, and it shared a print campaign on Owen’s experience with its Facebook fans.

Kia – A Kia campaign designed by firm David & Goliath features hamsters dancing to LMFAO’s "Party Rock Anthem." Upon learning that a couple had set a light show to the song on its property (which went viral), the agency relocated filming of the last part of the campaign to the couple’s driveway.

All customers want to feel special, and that human proclivity assures there will always be interest in "moment marketing" campaigns. Those customers who are honored by the special treatment will likely become lifelong brand advocates, while many of those who witness the initiatives, perhaps from a "wow, this could happen to me" perspective, will see the brand as customer-friendly and worthy of support.

Generating such human reaction has always been desirable for marketing campaigns, and it matters even more now that the customers, themselves, are relied upon to spread the message. Television commercials with attractive, young celebrities pitching products may capture initial eyeballs, but when it comes time to share a video with one’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and/or YouTube connections, there needs to be something particularly-momentous and compelling to drive the action.

Still, when one thinks of the companies known for epitomizing customer-centricity, he is drawn to names like Zappos and Apple. Undoubtedly, if one were to search the various social networks, he could come across specific tales of extraordinary user-friendliness from those kinds of companies. But is that really why they have beyond reproach reputations for customer-centricity?

The answer is a resounding "no." Companies like Apple and Zappos have become synonymous with customer-centricity because they strive (almost always successfully) to deliver for their customers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Apple’s reputation, for instance, does not stem from an event in which it gave a bunch of free iPods to a group of high school graduates—it stems from a consistent offering of innovatively-simple products that are backed by knowledgeable, affable representatives.

If "moment marketing" campaigns are helpful in getting a brand’s customer-centricity on the radar, then they, by all means, should be integral to promotional strategy. But it is short-sighted to assume they can single-handedly create a reputation for customer management excellence: customers, no matter how impressed by others’ isolated experiences, are ultimately going to want to feel the magic themselves. If the company is not prepared to consistently and universally deliver customer service, the luster of viral promotional campaigns will soon fade into the shadow of disappointment with the real-world, real-life experience provided by the brand.

The organizations also risk succumbing to moral hazard, of sorts—overvaluing the anecdotal campaigns and thus feeling immune to criticism of their customer-centricity. If companies mistake viral customer experience stories as significant determinants on their overall customer reputation, they might downplay—or ignore—the need to improve some internal, less sexy processes. In the long run, this could stall their growth in customer satisfaction and prevent them from achieving the Zappos-level status they so aggressively desire.

And so for those who do turn to this moment-based, anecdotal marketing—do not forget that marketing is the key word. In terms of getting some recognition and awareness, of course these "individualist" campaigns work.

But they are not integral components of a customer management strategy.