Month: November 2020

Reframing a F*ckup and the Lost Opportunity

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As we are going through the second lockdown in Greece, we have fewer opportunities available to entertain ourselves while at home. Although we are not much into delivery, we thought we could introduce dinner delivery as a new family ritual to entertain ourselves, while also supporting F&B businesses through these challenging times. Therefore, once a week we order from a different restaurant and enjoy our meal from various cuisines.

Last Saturday it was burger’s turn and we ordered our dishes from a relatively new and highly rated burger restaurant. Two from us chose the classic beef patty, whereas the rest two preferred chicken burger. To cut the long story short, the two family members that preferred chicken burger got food poisoned…

I thought I had to inform the restaurant next morning, so as they withdraw any “suspicious” chicken product that caused the food poisoning. The woman who picked up the phone said she was sorry and then we hang up. I am confident my tone of voice came out calm and in no way aggressive and I had no purpose whatsoever to claim anything from them. My sole intention was to inform them so that no one would experience what my family had gone through.

In many businesses relationships matter, and I sense restaurants are no exception to this. After the call, I felt the communication was not complete. I would have expected a second call (possibly from the owner / manager) having three main pillars:

  • Apologize and express empathy for the incident (a good trait of emotional intelligence) “Hello I am the owner of the burger house. I was informed that you had an incidence last night after consuming a burger from us. We are very sorry! I hope you are feeling better now.”
  • Ask for more details and inform us on their actions for food safety and the quality of their ingredients “This is a unique incident for us. We follow HACCP and source our products from X supplier who offers superb quality. We are always looking into such incidences, so as to avoid them in the future”
  • Keep the relationship alive and make the Customer feel unique. “I know I cannot make things up, however let me refund you the cost of the meal / offer you a free meal next time”

F*ckups happen. They will always happen and that is understandable. Silence does not make up. It is sincere and open communication that builds bridges and restores Customer Trust.  

Reframing a F*ckup and the Lost Opportunity

A playful twist for a (previously) dull passage

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I’ve been writing my blog for 6 years and I have never praised projects that I have led (at least not until today). However, on November 2020 while Greece is experiencing the second phase of a lockdown, I had the honor to receive a Platinum distinction in the Event Awards 2020 organized by Boussias Communications for the project “The First Interactive Under Passage in Greece”. I felt that amidst these tough times, this is the right moment to write about this case and highlight the significance of brand experience as we navigate through Covid19. Let me break down for you, why I believe this is a particular good story to share.

In early 2019, I took the courage to propose to my manager an idea to revamp an underground passage in the city I grew up. Why does it take courage to propose something like this?  There are numerous reasons but let me provide my top 5: A. It needs a good amount budget B. You face the risk that the project gets vandalized C. Initiatives like this are often mistaken for CSR actions and not perceived as brand initiatives (ie. there is a weak brand role in the renovation) D. It is almost impossible to hit the right balance between a branded intervention (which also included a high risk of vandalism) and a restoration that cannot be attributed to a brand (ie. this is nice but we don’t know that OPAP did it) E. Collaborating with the Public Sector can be long and cumbersome. Even one single reason of these, could have discouraged us and force us abandon the idea.

Continue reading “A playful twist for a (previously) dull passage” →
A playful twist for a (previously) dull passage

Hit while the iron is hot

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Covid19 has a tremendous negative impact on the economy so far. However, as all wise people would argue, every coin has two sides. For financial services corporations like Visa, Covid19 has been a main driving force for even wider adoption of card payments and more specifically contactless payments. It seems that contactless payments are indeed on a sharp rise worldwide, especially during the last months. What should financial services companies offering contactless payments do in such an occasion? Should they lay back and enjoy the favorable side effect of a pandemic or ride the wave and try to establish both contactless payments as well as themselves as leaders in this field.

Visa decided to do the latter, and hit while the iron is hot. I noticed the below table tent in a gelateria in the center of Athens. I particularly enjoyed the straightforward messaging (Visa contactless preferred) as it was the shortest message possible, with the brand mentioned first and the word “preferred” serving as a nudge rather than an obligation or an option. The artwork was uncluttered and the placement of the table tent on top of the ice-cream vitrine could not be better. I paid using my contactless Visa.

Well played Visa, well played.

Visa Point of Purchase advertising material

Hit while the iron is hot