John Rose's Blog

Marketing Zombies

You can find them in all businesses large and small -- including supposedly creative fields like advertising and entertainment. They're the ones who always play it safe, find comfort in repeating and rehashing old ideas, are afraid of bright colors, offbeat design, or anything that will make them or their work stand out in a crowd or, heaven forbid, invite criticism. They survive in the shadows and fear the limelight. I call them Marketing Zombies.

Marketing Zombies aren’t like the zombies you see in the movies. Their bodies aren’t dead…just their imaginations.  Not the un-dead...just the un-imaginative. You know who they are.  

Using Social Media To Shock & Awe Your Customers

It should come as no surprise that clever hotels are now monitoring social media posts by customers and responding to comments and complaints – often in real time.  But one Florida Marriott has taken it up a notch by not only posting online replies, but also taking swift real world action. 

When a guest Tweeted about his room: "At the Orlando Marriott World Center for RIM WES 2010 but I have the crappiest room in the hotel" he was shocked a few minutes later when he found note of apology from the hotel manager for the "current room situation" slipped under his door with an offer to move him to a pool-view room the next day.