An unexpected "WOW" in customer experience from DEDEMAN

We all have very crowded agendas and when your car decides to challenge you (or punish for not giving it attention :-)) demanding a new battery, it is pretty annoying. I needed the car that particular "next day" and waiting for a delivery was out of question, so when somebody told me that Dedeman had car batteries, I have checked online the stock for the closest store and went there. Only that it was 20:35 already... and by Waze estimation I would be arriving at 20:59... Generally I am pretty optimistic , so I continued the journey, the store parking was almost empty, the guards outside the store. Nobody stopped us though and surprise -surprise, the staff answered very politely where the batteries were. That was strange. At closing time, no eyerolling when a (visible) desperate customer enters the store... Wait a minute! What is going on here? The same attitude of benevolence and even more (offering extra details about how we may recover money for the damaged battery ) was present at the cashier. And also at the Info Desk for the guarantee. People were smiling and were helpful . Well, there was not something in the air (except high level of carbon monoxide maybe), in the south of Bucharest, those people were maybe very polite and helpful by their nature or very well trained. Either way, it is a great example of customer care, done by hiring only people that have company's values or educating them properly. I was very well impressed by this experience (it is true that I also, as a customer, showed respect to their schedule and did not stopped to admire their new lamps or whatever, but rushed through the aisles). A key take-away is that not the big words about how much we care about people matter: it is the crucial moment of truth where you decide to be of help or not that will be remembered. Customer care is about knowing what matters to customers, when and where. It is about listening first. And I bet that Dedeman saw many desperate customers hitting the doors at closing time, to know that if they are there at that hour, they buy. Either way, if you fail to acknowledge customer's need (and often pain :-)) at least with an empathetic response , next time you are off the map for them.

The Best Ad that I've Seen Lately

Well, of course I am not objective. And I am a truly Ikea fan. Friends know that Ikea is my happy place. I enjoy going to Ikea and buying a lot of stuff that I didn't know that I needed. I admire Ikea the most for their customer experience, for every single moment when I asked them something and they found a way to solve my inquiry. For being true in every single aspect of their brand promise. Nice and simple, isn't it?

Now, I like their sense of humor, their understanding of the customer and as I said, I really have the feeling that this brand speaks to me. And while everyone knows that I am a little snobbish and bought a more expensive furniture for my first apartment (big mistake), now, after a few relocations, I am a loyal customer of the Ikea experience. This piece of ad is delightful and truly inspired by life: no one sleeps after the baby.

What will be in, what will be out in marketing communication in 2023

As promised, I revert here with the key trends identified by speakers at the Adworld Conference. Things are pretty simple, short videos are leaders. Still, here we need to pay attention, that (as another presentation showed), you may have millions of followers on TikTok and still not to succeed in selling 60 t-shirts...

Or, as Ryan Deiss (Founder and CEO Digitalmarketer.com) said, "1 million views on TikTok doesn't last, is like 2 second stand, not even a one night stand".

Here are some themes that I have retained from his presentation:

• " Email is social again, we should not forget that Email was the original social media", the goal is to maintain engagement, so, "emails should be optimized for the conversation and not for clicks." Conclusion, "send emails without links, broadcast emails that are designed to solicit reply, like writing to a friend, then respond also, keep the conversation". There are a few steps that build towards the call to action, so, no call to action in the first email (that sounds intriguing): 1. Send an email. 2 Engage, give more clarity 3. Ask a sorting question: "is this more important, or that". 4. Wait for response. 5. Book a call, invite to an event, etc. "Engage, sort, take to action" is the recommendation of Ryan Deiss. You may find more "digital marketing tips and tools" from the speaker here : https://www.digitalmarketer.com/resources/

• YouTube Ads still gaining popularity/ Facebook/Instagram ads on a declining path.