I just finished reading "Struggles of a Mad Man" in the Dec 3, 2007 issue of Business Week. The article looks at Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts and how both his traditional advertising business "may be flirting with irrelevance".
As a former media buyer for FCB in the early 90's, it's certainly been fascinating (and fun) to see the balance of power shift more towards the folks with data and quantifiable results. It's what I find so exciting about the continued convergence of media and creative - like social media applications / widgets - the line between creative and inventory these days is certainly blurring. So I was taken aback to see there are still senior advertising people like Roberts who think that creative and analytical are two completely different worlds. Roberts is quoted as saying "A media agency couldn't emotionally touch the consumer in a million years," "They have no f---ing idea. They don't have feelings. They're media people." Wow. Granted, most media agencies weren't founded to do great creative, but to assert that media people don't "get" brand building and connecting with people smells more like fear than insight.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Solve your customer's problems, not your own
I recently opened a new cell phone account with AT&T. Tiffany was very helpful and told me they could transfer my phone number from my company's corporate account to my new personal account, as long as my company put a note on the account giving permission for the transfer. She told me to call back once the note was in place.
I called AT&T back to complete the transfer. Tiffany was off that day. I asked the gentleman who answered the phone if he could help me, here is what transpired:
Me: Hi, I'd like to transfer a phone number from my company's corporate account to the new account I opened with you a few days ago. There is a note on the account allowing the transfer.
AT&T: That's complicated. If we do that it will no longer count as a new activation and you will lose all the discounts associated with the account.
Me: I don't understand, Tiffany said this would be no problem. Why wouldn't this count as a new activation, since I'm a totally new account for you?
AT&T: The number you want to transfer already resides with AT&T, so it's not a new account.
Me: That doesn't make any sense to me. I'm just looking to transfer the phone number, not close another account. The corporate phone will have a new number, I just want to move the numbers to different phones. What do I need to do to make that happen?
AT&T: Did you purchase the phone through us?
Me: No, I got the phone as a gift, I just activated a service plan with you.
AT&T: Oh, well that's a different story, we can transfer the number in that case.
Me: Can you explain that to me? You make money on cell phone plans, not on the phones right? Why do I still not count as a new activation. There is a new account and a new bill being paid every month that AT&T didn't have before.
AT&T: It doesn't count as a new activation unless there is a new phone and phone number.
Me: That's idiotic, but I give up. What do I have to do to get the number transferred.
AT&T: It's probably best for you to come in to do that.
Me: But Tiffany told me I could just call her and she would take care of it.
AT&T: She's in tomorrow after 11.
I called AT&T back to complete the transfer. Tiffany was off that day. I asked the gentleman who answered the phone if he could help me, here is what transpired:
Me: Hi, I'd like to transfer a phone number from my company's corporate account to the new account I opened with you a few days ago. There is a note on the account allowing the transfer.
AT&T: That's complicated. If we do that it will no longer count as a new activation and you will lose all the discounts associated with the account.
Me: I don't understand, Tiffany said this would be no problem. Why wouldn't this count as a new activation, since I'm a totally new account for you?
AT&T: The number you want to transfer already resides with AT&T, so it's not a new account.
Me: That doesn't make any sense to me. I'm just looking to transfer the phone number, not close another account. The corporate phone will have a new number, I just want to move the numbers to different phones. What do I need to do to make that happen?
AT&T: Did you purchase the phone through us?
Me: No, I got the phone as a gift, I just activated a service plan with you.
AT&T: Oh, well that's a different story, we can transfer the number in that case.
Me: Can you explain that to me? You make money on cell phone plans, not on the phones right? Why do I still not count as a new activation. There is a new account and a new bill being paid every month that AT&T didn't have before.
AT&T: It doesn't count as a new activation unless there is a new phone and phone number.
Me: That's idiotic, but I give up. What do I have to do to get the number transferred.
AT&T: It's probably best for you to come in to do that.
Me: But Tiffany told me I could just call her and she would take care of it.
AT&T: She's in tomorrow after 11.
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