Kevin Harrington // marketing // blog

I texted the number at the end of the TV advert for a catalogue. I got an immediate text back thanking me for my interest and saying they would contact me soon for address details. Five days later and I’ve still heard nothing.

I wonder how CPC Farnell measure the return on investment from their TV advertising? It may be by the increase in market share of their competitors…I’ve just got what I needed from Screwfix.

I thought car customers were hard to get hold of these days. You wouldn’t believe it at Motorworld Volvo in Oxford. I asked to talk to someone about leasing a Volvo and I was told to phone some number in Chipping Norton. Now, as I had bothered to walk through the door and there was not another customer in sight it seemed a tad daft for them to loose contact with me.

And loose contact they did. Lancaster Reading, part of the Jardine Motors Group, were enormously hospitable. Dale Radford sorted out info and quotes. They stand a chance of getting the business. Easy really isn’t it?

So my tip #37 for surviving the credit crunch is: talk to your customers if they bother to come and see you …  and don’t send them away to do your work!

Watch out for the vinegar

I think a measure of good consumer products packaging is when I automatically pick up something and get exactly what I expected.

Time and time again, generally when I am out enjoying a bacon buttie, I pick up the Heinz Malt Vinegar when I want brown sauce.

Is it just me?

On this particular occasion it was after having waited for over half an hour to be served in The Copthorne Hotel, Slough. I think they are creating their own recession all by themselves; there wasn’t even a restaurant open at lunchtime…both were closed.

Showcase Cinema, Reading

Even the local cinema is computer dependent now.

I couldn’t book online and apparently no one could. This was the big box office sales Sunday for the latest Indiana Jones movie. That wasn’t the film I was off to see with my son Charlie but it did explain the large numbers of people there.

To compound matters advance sales could not be collected from the ticket collection points.

The ensuing chaos had people queuing out of the doors at the Showcase Cinema at Winnersh, near Reading.

Never mind, they kept all the staff on the high margin hot dogs and sweets and didn’t waste anytime apologising to the patiently waiting customers.

So, we’re all bored with the Terminal 5 stories now. Perhaps we raised an eyebrow when we learned that the case and luggage losses were so bad that some insurers are withdrawing cover for travellers using T5.

I thought they cannot be that bad, I’ve had great service from BA over the years. Thinking I would re-engage with British Airways, I logged onto the BA Executive Club – well I tried to … “Not enough activity…we’ve cancelled your membership and all the points that go with it.”

The BA Executive Club customer service person seemed completely unconcerned when I politely said that I would phone Virgin instead. All that money invested in a loyalty programme and they throw you out. And to think I once spent £1,000,000 on BA flights for one promotion!

Perhaps a BA Exec, still in post, if they read this will correct matters and send me a BA Exec Club gold card. I doubt it though, I imagine the accountants now running the company would not approve it.

For your enjoyment and anagram of ‘The World’s Favourite Airline’: It is another awful ride lover. And more from Anagram Genius.

A more eloquent slating of BA’s market hopes can be read at Reference Geeks.