Affinity

Is customer service a function of the sales department?  Is service delivery under the umbrella of brand?  Who's job is customer service, anyway?  Is there more to it than product returns and delivery problems?  Does the web complicate matters? More chances to serve customers in the information revolution Wikipedia defines customer service as follows: The provision of service before, during and after a purchase. Takeaways:  One - Customers are gathering intel about your brand before you even...

AdAge and Twitterville This is a busy weekend in Las Vegas.  At the risk of sounding oxymoronic, let me quickly add that I'm referring to BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2008, the convention for connectivity.  I'm workin' the laptop, and my TwitterFox keeps catching my eye - so I invariably check out the new Tweets and read all about the after parties, the panelists, see the Flikrs.  Good times had by all, it sounds like.  Although I'm here and they're, well, there, the stream of updates and photos...

So it's the first day of a new month (I gotta ask, where did 2008 go?  I'm not ready for snow!  But that could be my reality in two short months.) and I decided to tackle my ever-present teetering pile of work-related reading material.  So there's no misapprehension - I love to read, and I love to learn, and I'm a speed reader - but the first two truths create a problem:  my eyes are bigger than there are hours in the day. Which is why I'm just now getting to the August edition of Multichannel...

I've been giving a lot of thought to branding lately.  More specifically, consumer affinity with brands and the impact the current economic climate might (does) have on their emotional connection, and ultimately, loyalty with brands.  Let's choose the service industry for this academic discussion - banking in particular.I, for one, have had my share of negative experiences with banks.  I've historically chosen big regional banks for their supposed security and progressive attitude toward...