Surprise and Delight

The concept of surprise and delight is a great tactic that a few special marketers at beloved brands employ. Surprise and delight is that Christmas morning feeling, as demonstrated by my nieces above, two Florida girls who were surprised with an unexpected trip to Utah over New Years to see their cousins (and snow for the first time!).

A few years ago when I worked on Target Stores, this was a big strategy of theirs - what could they do to surprise and create wonder and excitement and a little magic among their consumers, out of nowhere. It wasn't about 'increasing per store sales' or 'driving consumer acquisition' or narrowly focusing on 'increasing shareholder value', it was about making people happy and giving them a boost in their day, which arguably strengthens the brand/consumer relationship, and ultimate value in a consumer's mind.

Another great brand, Clif Bar, also does this with their consumers and has even surprised and delighted members of our agency team. This gesture speaks very highly to the type of company Clif Bar is - one that views its agency relationship as a partnership, not a vendor.

As the best companies know, business is personal, because business is made of people. And the power of good vibes can ultimately cause you to drive further, pay more, forgive mistakes and spread the word to others.

Yesterday, Oprah Winfrey, who knows a thing or two about thinking big, surprised and delighted her audience of loyal fans with a trip to Australia with her in December, on a plane flown by John Travolta! Yes it's good for ratings, and PR and buzz, but the concept of surprise and delight is fishing in deeper waters than just that alone.

Because your heart must first be in the right place for surprise and delight to be authentic.

Try it and see.