A pair of turqoise boots. That’s all it took for me to fall in love with Maverick Western Wear and become a loyal customer, even though the boots are the only purchase I have made there (yet).
A small boutique in the stockyards district of Fort Worth, Texas, Maverick Western Wear sells cowboy-cool apparel and gifts accompanied by great customer service and a shopping experience that delights. In the store’s words, “Today, patrons of the Maverick can ‘belly up’ to the bar, relax and have a cold beer while in the Stockyards; just like they did in the days of the big cattle drives. While you’re enjoying that cold one, you can look around and shop in one of the best western boutiques this side of the Mississippi.”
Many women’s marketing experts from Marti Barletta (Marketing to Women, 2007) to Bridget Brennan (Why She Buys, 2009) to Michal Clements and yours truly (Tuning into Mom, 2011) have identified the “surprise and delight” advantage when it comes to marketing to women. Maverick Western Wear certainly delivers. In fact, the delight for me didn’t stop with the shopping experience or great customer service; my boots arrived a month earlier than promised and came with a lovely note from Cindy, who had helped me in the store. Talk about over-delivering! True to their website’s promise, “You can bet your boots that if there is anything we can do to help you, we’re gonna do it. If we can’t then we’ll find someone who can.” (www.maverickwesternwear.com)
My loyalty and my brand Valentine go to Maverick Western Wear!
I asked my social media friends who would get their brand Valentine. It’s probably no surprise that Apple and Starbucks were at the top of many lists–largely because of their product
offerings, shopping experience, and customer service. Customer service got Carfax a vote too; as the voter said, “they have shown me they are out to help people,” and they created the Car Fox Video Valentine, which uses the car fox as a feature in video valentines users can send from Facebook.
Honda got a vote for its Element. Hawaiian Airlines was tapped for its customer service and its destination, “I would say Hawaiian Air because of the aloha spirit, the gift of the island breezes, the scent of plumeria, the allure of the Haleakala crater and because of the free time and slower pace of the islands.” (Thanks David Kosar, a rock star of customer service in the financial services world.)
Many small local brands like Woodstock Farmers Market (Woodstock, VT) that provide a unique customer experience were mentioned. The Woodstock promise: “Our vision for the Market has always been to make great food accessible to everyone. We all love food and love to cook but we’re not snobby about it. In fact, we don’t consider ourselves ‘gourmet,’ because it implies exclusivity, and we believe that anyone can create great food. Most of the time one just needs a little help. . . a recipe perhaps; the best, freshest ingredients you can find; or just an outgoing and friendly staffer to help out with an idea.”
In short, all of these brands have built a loyal following by heeding Walt Disney‘s advice, “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.”
