Argentum Blog

Argentum's blog, Marketing Op-Ed, highlights interesting, real-world examples of marketing with a little bit (okay, a lot) of opinion thrown in.  It's written by Susan Silver, President of Argentum Strategy Group, with the occasional guest blogger added to the mix.

AT&T: How to not measure customer satisfaction

I had one of those circle-of-hell phone calls with AT&T last week. I worked with 3 separate individuals, 2 of whom were great and one who put me on hold for 30 full minutes. A few days later, I received an automated satisfaction survey via telephone. The survey assumed that I had only worked with one AT&T employee. There was therefore no...

Ho Ho Holiday e-cards

I’ve been receiving more holiday e-cards than usual this year, no doubt due primarily to the economy, but I’m happy trees are being saved, regardless of the reason. Two cards I’ve received really stand out. One is a 100% direct, awesome viral marketing hit. So great, in fact, that this is the second year it’s run, and it...

Missed customer loyalty opportunity

My mom recently experienced a problem with an OXO can opener. She sent OXO an email about her experience, and, to their credit, OXO immediately responded with an apology and a full refund. My mom was very satisfied. The story doesn’t end here, though. About a week later, a large package arrived at my parents’ home. Inside was a...

Word-of-mouth marketing by service company

I received this email from Verne Harnish of Gazelles.com earlier this week. It’s a great example of creatively generating grassroots marketing. This word of mouth marketing idea was great for many reasons, two of which are: 1. It’s a real win-win. Anyone can send a personalized copy of Verne’s autographed book as a gift, free....