As John Dodds likes to continually point out, I often post things about circumstances or situations that passed long ago.
Sure, part of this is because I’m about as topical as an episode of Neighbours, but part of it is because I pre-write this rubbish so far in advance that by the time I get to something new, it’s already consigned to history.
OK, so I could write it and move the other posts around so it would remain ‘topical’, but I can’t be arsed, so deal with it.
The reason I am preambling is – you guessed it – because I’m going to write another un-topical/topical post.
Over the years, I’ve written quite a lot of posts about the London Underground [ here and here for example] and almost all of them have been positive.
Back in April, I talked about how they seemed to understand how showing empathy, humanity and personality could translate to building a real rapport with their passengers, well on Halloween, they did it again.
Nice eh!
I particularly love that they wrote the whole thing ‘straight’ – as if it was a real notice – giving the overall impression they’re a professional organisation but with a twinkle in the eye.
Brilliant.
Yes, I know lots of companies do Halloween ads, but this is not an ad – well, not in the way most companies do them – it’s a wonderful bit of brand charm.
OK, so I accept many people may have missed this sign – and some may even think it is childish and unprofessional – however, while many companies believe the secret to success is to run efficiently and show no personality trait that could alienate a potential customer, I am firmly of the belief that brands who express their personality or point of view have a real advantage over their bland, parity competitors.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying a strong POV or personality can automatically overcome those brands that offer mass distribution or uber-low prices, but it might get you a stronger and more emotionally loyal customer base than the casual/superficial/auto-pilot customers many organisations continually chase each and every day.
It’s for this reason that I’ll always pop into – and buy music from – Nottingham’s iconic second hand record shop ‘Rob’s Records’ … not because we share the same name or because I’m a technology luddite and only listen to my favourite bands via vinyl or CD … but because he has no problem expressing his personal opinion on the music he stocks.
Efficiency, professionalism, reliability and trust might be vital traits of a strong brand, but personality and character are what makes you fall in love.