179: How To Scuttle Your Brand

<p>Jan Carlzon wrote a fascinating book called Moments of Truth on how to maintain the trust in your brand, through the many changing touchpoints the company has with the consumer.  Today we look at what happens when we get it wrong and the damage is does to our brand.</p> <p> </p> <p>You really appreciate the importance of brand, when you see it being trashed.  Companies spend millions over decades constructing the right brand image with clients.  Brands are there to decrease the buyer’s sense of risk.  A brand carries a promise of consistent service at a certain level.  Now that level can be set very low, like some low cost airlines, where “cheap and cheerful” is the brand promise.  Another little gem from some industries is “all care and no responsibility”.  At the opposite end are the major Hotel chains.  They have global footprints and they want clients to use them whereever they are in the world. They want to be trusted that they can deliver the same level of high quality.  There are plenty of competitors around, so the pressure is on to protect the brand.</p> <p> </p> <p>When you encounter a trusted brand trash their brand promise, it makes you sit up and take notice.  The plane from Haneda to Taipei was delayed because of weather conditions, we sat on the runway for 90 minutes waiting to take off and so I finally arrived at the Taipei Westin Hotel at 6.00pm.  At the check-in was told there were no rooms ready.  Okay. That set off a warning buzzer in my head because the check out time for the Hotel is 12.00 noon. </p> <p> </p> <p>Things happen though, so maybe there is some reason for this lack of expected service, but doubt has begun to arise in my mind about this Hotel’s management team.  I asked when a room will become available.  The second buzzer goes off immediately, when the young lady checking me in, tells me she doesn’t know.  How could they not know that information, when there is a lobby full of punters like me, all frustrated about not having their room available?</p> <p> </p> <p>My immediate t