Tag Archives: Credibility

Now That Is Progressive

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traffic signs in Bangkok

I’m not sure which of the 8 definitions (from Merriam-Webster’s Online dictionary) that Progressive used to define their brand of auto insurance, but I like #3, “moving forward or onward.”

Now, I’m a great driver.  Really.  I obey all traffic signals, speed limits, and I can even parallel-park, but I had a little incident on my way to a meeting earlier this week.  I needed to make a left turn at the light, but I was in the middle lane. So I put my blinker on, checked my mirrors, and BOOM!, a sweet little SUV smashed into the front of my perfect, traffic-rules-obeying car*. Continue reading →

Please Deposit 50 Cents for 5-Star Service

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Unbelievable.

I just called my financial institution, US Bank.

You know. The bank that has “Five-Star Service Guaranteed” appearing underneath their logo.

I had a question for my long time financial institution.

Upon dialing the 888 number, I heard the pleasant voice of the recorded US Bank lady say: “A fee of fifty cents will be charged to your account for using this automated service.”

Wow.  How special I felt as a customer. (Is this what “five-star service” really feels like?) Continue reading →

Hospital Credibility

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I recently found myself in the ER waiting area of a local hospital.  The hospital recently launched a campaign that promises “no wait emergency care.”  Here is an exert from their website:  ”When you’re hurt or sick, you want help fast. That’s why xyz hospital is proud to bring you the best quality of service with our No Wait emergency care.  We implemented the No Wait effort in December and to date, the average patient is treated within five minutes of arrival.” Continue reading →

Everyday Credibility

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I have a friend who makes furniture. He makes each piece by hand in a barn behind his house. He is not a sophisticated businessman. He has
no college degree, much less an MBA. His business has not suffered in the recent downturn. I talked with him about credibility.

At first, he looked at me like he didn’t understand the question. I  explained what I meant. He smiled.

“Credibility? You mean doing what you say you’re going to do?” he asked. Continue reading →

Old School Credibility in a New School World

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Do you want to have a relationship with a company, or with your friends and family?

The space between the word’s “company” and “friends and family” is a thousand miles wide. It is the chasm between branding and what is happening in social networking.

All too often, businesses want to transfer their branding strategy unchanged from traditional to nontraditional. They controlled traditional branding. They paid their money and they got their space or time. It was a one way monologue. Not so in a world where people spend more time on Facebook than they do face-to-face with other humans. The conversation of the digital world means that you may not be the only one telling your story. As Arianna Huffington recently said, “We can’t use an analog map and expect to find our way in a digital world.” Continue reading →

What Does it Take to Build Credibility for Your Brand?

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The Web is a churning ocean of endless information. That is hardly news. Insightful companies have posted some pretty telling numbers about what people think and what we’re doing about it. Edelman’s Trust Barometer alone is enough to make you wonder if your customers will be your customers tomorrow.

What you say is picked up and reposted and spread like the flu on a subway. What you do is passed from friend to blog to Facebook to Twitter to your bottom line. People believe people, especially their friends. Social media has not just leveled the playing field of credibility, it has plowed it up and planted a whole new crop where your brand used to grow. A new farmer is tilling the land: your customer. Continue reading →