Isn’t the role of a mail carrier to deliver the mail?

This year my daughter Raka had sent me some golf balls with a custom message for Father’s Day. The day the golf balls arrived; the mail carrier had put the box in my mailbox. They had truly delivered the mail as the box was forced all the way in my mailbox.

I tried to get the box out for a few minutes, and then I realized that there was no way I could pull the box out.  As the box contained only golf balls, I started ripping the packaging to get the balls out. Soon the balls were out and I was in an “awwww” zone when I read the message on the balls, “Cool Golfer, Cooler Dad.”

Once I was able to get all of the box out, I found hidden in the back a picture of Raka and myself. I got quite emotional looking at the picture.  Then suddenly, the thought came to my mind, “Whoa, I am so glad I did not tear the picture as I was ripping open the box.” If that happened, nothing could have stopped me from crying.

I realized that that the mail carrier’s job was more than just delivering the package. My daughter trusted the USPS to make sure that the golf balls and the picture got to me.  Had the picture got damaged in the process of opening the box, they would have failed in their job.  This is a common challenge for some brands where they define the end of their responsibility with the completion of a key task. Completion of a key task allows brands to be efficient. Instead brands must be effective; they must understand what the end-value and feelings they are committed to deliver and go all the way to delivering that successfully.

What Is The Real PURPOSE Of A Brand?

Brands must realize that they are not simply in a “task completion” business. Task completion helps a brand check boxes that is in their control which may or may not completely deliver on what customers expect and need from a brand.

Instead brands must realize that they are in the “Feeling Delivery” business. They must zero-in on the highest level of feeling that will WOW the customer and deliver it every time.

In the case of the mail carrier, they should have a clear picture of the happiness residents feel when they open their mail; and do what it takes to deliver that feeling of happiness.

 

3 Steps To Identify Why A Brand Exists:

  1. Have a clear idea of the feeling customers expect every time they use the brand.
  2. Do not stop at a series of tasks that is convenient to deliver.
  3. Go all the way to develop processes and tasks to deliver the feeling every time.