“Random acts of marketing”

It seems that the Hyatt Hotel chain has begun a program called “Random Acts of Generosity.” The idea is that hotel employees are now empowered to comp guests (actually only those belonging to the chain’s “Gold Passport” loyalty program) to massages, drinks or meals for no reason at all. The idea is that by doing something for their guests, the guest will feel a sense of gratitude and come back and / or recommend the chain to their friends.

As I read this, my mind went back to an evening in Savannah, Georgia earlier in the year. I was having dinner at a very nice restaurant. The food was great as was the décor but the service was just horrible! The owner walked up to our table and asked us how dinner was. We responded that it was delicious but the service really needed to be worked on. 

His response was that our expensive dinner and drinks would be on the house. We insisted that, no, that was too much. So, instead he brought us several desserts and wines on the house without our asking. It turned a slightly disappointing evening into a great one. Believe me, I am still recommending that place.

So, as I thought about it, it came to mind that it might be nice if the president of a big toy company occasionally took the time to call one of his or her smaller retail customers to ask for feedback and while doing so gave them a credit, or even better, gave them some free goods on a new product they have not yet tried?

It’s possible that those small acts of generosity might do more to enhance customer loyalty and buy in than any number of discounts or dating programs.