Surprise!!!!
This Week:
Making Memorable Communications
ICYMI: One of Our Favorite Brand Surprises
Food for Thought
Before We Go…
1. Surprise and Delight: How to Create Unforgettable Moments
I’ll never forget the barista who gave me a free coffee for no other reason than she was empowered to and thought I needed it. I was in graduate school and went to the same place nearly every night to study. I ordered the same drink (a decaf Americano) and spent two hours with my nose in a book. That night, I plopped my backpack down, went to the counter to order, and the barista told me, “I’ve got you.”
It’s been almost ten years, and I still remember it.
It didn’t cost the store much, but it left a huge impression and strengthened my loyalty to my favorite spot. I told people about it. I’m telling you about it.
That’s the power of a surprise and delight tactic.
Whether it’s a free coffee, a handwritten note, a spontaneous discount, or a fast-tracked request, those unexpected moments create buzz, build loyalty, and shape a reputation for standout service.
2. ICYMI: A Boat and a Brand Collaboration
Let’s keep talking about surprise and delight tactics, shall we? How about that time E.L.F. chartered a plane to airdrop a package of sunscreen and skincare products to a man and his cat as they sailed to Hawaii?
Definitely a surprise. Definitely a delight. We loved this fun brand collaboration and thought it was worth revisiting this week.
3. Food for Thought
A segment where we share some bite-sized insights from communications experts.
We don’t always need a new buzzword. Simple is usually better.
4. Before We Go…
From The Guardian: Futurist Adam Dorr on how robots will take our jobs: ‘We don’t have long to get ready – it’s going to be tumultuous’:
Jobs whose value depend on human input – such as sports coaches, politicians, sex workers, ethicists – will endure but even they will face competition from machines. “There will remain a niche for human labour in some domains. The problem is that there are nowhere near enough of those occupations to employ 4 billion people.”
From The Wall Street Journal: The AI scraping fight that could change the future of the web:
A new wave of AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini delivers quick answers by pulling data from the open web, reducing the need for users to visit websites. This shift has sharply cut search traffic for publishers, a trend expected to worsen with Google’s AI Mode offering fewer links.
The outcome of ongoing copyright battles and anti-scraping efforts could reshape the media industry and the internet, as publishers try to block access while AI firms claim fair use.
From Tabby F. on LinkedIn: AI is changing how your content is read and searched:
Related to the story above, AI is playing a larger role in search. The challenge? It doesn’t always understand context or humor, leading to a potential for spreading misinformation. Here’s an example of this in action.
As you plan your next micro-retirement, forward this to a colleague so they know what that means.