A good relationship is a two-way street, right? So why does it seem like brands often operate in a one-way world, funneling you into a one-way tunnel, which may or may not put you in the path of a one-way train?Chances are, you and a brand are locked in. You might not know it yet, but deep down you want to break up with the brand. It’s like you can’t get away though, they keep coming back with more. More frivolous stuff. More deals. More temptation. Your first level is satisfied with whatever you just bought, but that level where you really connect, is left untouched.
What if the brand loved you back? Don’t actions speak louder than words? You don’t want the brand to say that they love you, you want the brand to show that they love you….
Well, almost everyday during lunch, I get on www.dawgpounddaily.com. It’s a website that’s devoted to Cleveland Browns news stories-which these days, there are plenty. I can get on many websites to get my Browns fix, but I like dating Dawg Pound Daily (DPD).
So, one day I get back to my desk, unwrap my Bacon Turkey Bravo from Panera, and I go to the website. Cue the ominous tones – the website is down. DPD is my preferred site, but not the end of the world.
A little bit later on, after I am finishing my lunch and getting ready to get back into the afternoon grind, I decide to quickly get on Twitter. On Twitter, I see a tweet from DPD that says something along the lines of “Our site is down sorry for the inconvenience.” In response to the breaking news, I tweet back somewhat jokingly “Yeah, what’s up with that? I get on your website everyday, had to find my Browns news elsewhere….”
This is where DPD could have ignored me but decided to give back and show their appreciation of our relationship.
A few minutes later I get a tweet from Steve DiMatteo (he runs the Holy of Holy-Dawg Pound Daily) he said he was sorry that the site was down but to direct message him my address so he could send me a Cleveland Browns t-shirt.
Unreal. This never happens. I was so excited that the one-way relationship that I had, just took a turn onto an unrestricted two-way street. I already loved DPD, but that was the moment I started to fall in love (yes, I fell in love over a t-shirt). It was so much more than that though. DPD saw an opportunity. They saw an opportunity to be great. They now have a soulmate in me. I will love their brand forever and I will always have that shared experience. Not many companies seize opportunities like this. But I’m telling you, they’re out there.
