I think our views complement each other quite well. I love the V/M matrix. Very cool.

As you can tell from my other posts, I generally view the CS area through the lens of Enterprise Performance Management (hence, tend to be a little slanted to the finance and operational performance sides of things). That said, I am a CS/ Marketing guy at heart and have spent a large part of my career in that space. So as you can imagine, I spend a lot of time “mediating” dialog between the Customer side of the business and, at times, what appears at times to be “everyone else”

CCO’s will make a lot more headway when they can put all of this into the bigger enterprise context- much like you do with the V/M discussion. While its only 25% (read: very big from an executive mind-space standpoint), it is rarely viewed with that level of proportional importance. And when you consider the impact on the Financial, Employee, and Sustainability areas, it’s even bigger.

Good to have a “partner” in the cause. Thanks again for the comments, kind words and RT’s

Re: Mardi Gras- It’s 7PM in Jersey and I’m still sober (in New Orleans, few of us could say that after breakfast :), although I am enjoying a good cigar. God I wish I were back in the south!!! Nothing like fat tuesday to catalyze the lenten sacrifice.

Tremendous post covering ‘lagniappe’ on Fat Tuesday of all days. Fantastic and thorough analysis. Here are my topline thoughts:

– Not every example of ‘marketing lagniappe’ costs money. In fact there are a quite a few examples of either extremely low or no cost. Little touches that make a big difference.

– Love your matrix. We’re on the same page as I use something called the v/m matrix
http://www.marketinglagniappe.com/blog/2010/04/13/put-up-or-shut-up-do-actions-speak-louder-than-words-when-building-your-customer-experience/

– Lagniappe is not a substitute for either a bad product or poor customers service. You nailed it that its a priority to get the basics right. You can’t make chicken salad, out of chicken sh*t.

Marketing Lagniappe is at the crossroads of three major elements of marketing:

1. Product Differentiation: the little extra ‘thrown in’ adds value and can be a strategic differentiator. They help you stand out in a ‘sea of sameness’. Think Southwest and ‘Bags Fly Free’.

2. Word of Mouth Marketing: giving something unique and ‘unexpected’ to your customer has the effect of disrupting schemas. The effect causes customers to want to talk about the experience. You are giving your customers something to blog, tweet, Facebook and talk about.

3. Retention / Loyalty: Some say that retention is the new acquisition. Reducing attrition can lead to healthier bottom line. Plus, the little extra touches creates a bond between you and the customer. They convey that you care. In instances like DoubleTree Hotels, PotBelly Sandwiches or Midwest Airlines, ‘It’s not about the chocolate chip cookie, its what the cookie represents’.

Enjoy Mardi Gras Bob.

Best,
Stan

PS – I hope your post spurs some examples for the Purple Goldfish Project. Only 265 to go before we reach the goal of 1,001 examples