Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Communication Strategy, Culture, Customer Service, Emotion, Empathy, Insight, Marketing
A few weeks ago, I smashed the screen of my iPhone 7.
To say I was annoyed was an understatement, especially when I was told that all of Shanghai’s Genius Bars were fully booked for 6 weeks so the only thing I could do – if I wanted things to be sorted quickly – was to turn up at an Apple store and queue up for hours on end.
So I did.
I got up early and was at the store at 8am so I could be first when the doors opened.
And you know what, I’m glad I did because otherwise I would not have been able to see this …
“What’s that you ask?”
It’s a group of blind people being given access to the store before it opens so they can shop safely and comfortably.
It may seem a little thing to us, but it would be a huge thing for them.
As we saw with Asda doing a special open store for customers suffering with autism, the retail industry is miles ahead of most organisations in terms of customer understanding and service.
Not to mention being light years ahead of adland and their often embarrassing attempts to make a difference to culture. Though, to be fair, that’s because most of them are only doing it because they want to win an industry award [namely a Cannes Lion] than to actually make something that has any real benefit for society.
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And the best thing about it is that they don’t shout about it.
Comment by John March 29, 2017 @ 6:22 amyet.
Comment by andy@cynic March 29, 2017 @ 6:46 amStill a cynic at heart Andy.
Comment by Rob March 29, 2017 @ 8:01 amIs this company wide policy Baz? It’s very, very good.
Comment by George March 29, 2017 @ 6:27 amAs John said, extra kudos for not making a big deal out of it.
I was going to say “unless Baz paid Rob to tell people” before I remembered:
1. The last person Baz would pay anything to is Rob.
Comment by DH March 29, 2017 @ 6:40 am2. The audience reach of this blog would make it pointless.
dont underestimate the power of campbells blagging. he could get trump to lend him his fucking wig. youre right about the scale of this blog. surprised agencies dont buy ads on it for their scam shit so they can say they legally launched it. got to be cheaper than a rural newspaper or a spot at 2am on a local cable channel.
Comment by andy@cynic March 29, 2017 @ 6:51 amThank you. I think …
Comment by Rob March 29, 2017 @ 8:01 amThough it occurs to me that you might have whined to an Apple person of your acquaintance, told him of your intention to visit the store at 8 a.m. and he knew you’d fall for this bit of experiential marketing. No, that would be too devious.
Comment by John March 29, 2017 @ 6:30 amIf Rob worked at Apple I’d believe it. But we’re talking about Baz and he wasn’t devious enough to get out of the weekly coffee run when we worked together.
Comment by DH March 29, 2017 @ 6:42 amfuck thats good. so is that asda shit.
Comment by andy@cynic March 29, 2017 @ 6:45 ammakes me like both those fuckers more than a million manifesto ads.
Yeah … I love that Asda thing. It was done by one store and then opened out. And the best thing is they didn’t make a big deal of it either – apparently the story came because the journalists brother had told him about it as he suffered from autism.
Comment by Rob March 29, 2017 @ 8:02 amVery nice work Apple. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Comment by Pete March 29, 2017 @ 7:05 amPhenomenally simple and incredibly powerful. Excellent.
Comment by Lee Hill March 29, 2017 @ 7:54 amIt’s not hard if you want to do it and are open to seeing it.
Comment by Rob March 29, 2017 @ 8:03 amI agree Robert. The difference between saying and doing is the difference between hype and trust.
Comment by George March 29, 2017 @ 8:13 amOr Trump and Obama.
Comment by George March 29, 2017 @ 8:16 amSo you think making a group of blind guys get up early, lock them in an empty store and only letting them out when they spend money is good? You sick corporate bastard.
Comment by Billy Whizz March 29, 2017 @ 8:11 amApple’s dream is for the World to be blind.
Comment by DH March 29, 2017 @ 9:05 amYou’re even more cynical than Andy.
I don’t know if I’m proud or shocked.
Comment by Rob March 29, 2017 @ 10:12 amI had nothing to do with it. But I’m very proud of it.
Comment by Bazza March 29, 2017 @ 9:54 pm