Its A Kinda Magic

Wonderful! It exists after all! I could fill this article with superlatives to describe a recent shopping experience. I am currently padding around in my new Actos skin shoes (they are a minimalist footwear that basically resembles a latex sock with a thin sole), they are comfortable, funky, and trendy. The best part though was the incredible service experience I had obtaining them. I found an advert in a fitness magazine, looked up the website (www.actos.co.za) and contacted the South African company that distributes them (getting them into Zimbabwe would entail a little more than standard shipping arrangements). From the outset there was a swift response to my query. The real crunch for me came when I emailed a proof of payment to them. It was 8pm at night, I had just got in from a long and social day and was tidying up a few personal odds and ends before bedtime. Sending the email, I expected a reply the next morning when business hours resumed. No such luck. Rather I had a reply 10 minutes later! That was a dedication to service. The supplier would have been well within their rights to deal with it in the morning but they made a choice to deal with it there and then. That little instance has made me a fan for life.

What I have experienced with my shoes it called 'Brand Crush' by Seth Godin. It is the interaction of the magic of the brand and generosity. The magic is the excitement of a new experience with a product or service, in this case the concept of skin shoes; the epic feeling of walking around almost barefoot. The generosity is the giving aspect, for me the sacrifice of Kathy on the other end of an email late at night to deal with my order. I'm sold, I'm hooked, I never want to wear another shoe (well not quite).

I remember the first time I saw a colour television. It was a bulky number that my grandmother had splashed out on. We gathered at the house the weekend it arrived, a bunch of excited kids and adults. It was carefully unpacked, studied, assembled. We waited as it performed the channel search. Then as the screen exploded into colour we were wowed and amazed. Comments about clarity were bandied about the room. We were in love with the magic, with the experience. A few months later we took it for granted. It took flatscreens, LCD's, and retinal displays to recreate a new level of magic for the television.

The magic part will fade a little over time, I will get used to the experience of wearing the new shoes. The generosity has the capacity to keep me there. Generosity can manifest itself in many ways. At a very basic level by giving something away for free. Facebook gave itself away to users. Now those users are getting a little annoyed by the inevitable commercialisation that has come with the need to please shareholders in a public listing. Generosity wins every time you give a service that is above and beyond the perceived value you are paying. It is not always free; the shoes cost me money but the service I received was priceless.