A hilarious lesson in brand integrity…and manners.

June 9, 2011

How does a cheeky brand deal with complaining, abusive customers? They give it right back to them.

Here at Redpoint, we are frequently tasked with helping our clients “maintain their brand integrity.”  Sounds fancy, huh?  But what does it really mean?

It means you don’t just “talk the talk”…you “walk the walk.”  Spending the extra money to have a renowned fashion designer create your staff uniforms when you tout your brand as hip and stylish…hiring that additional staff person to man the otherwise-self-serve afternoon tea station in the lobby when you tout your brand as offering gracious and personalized service…offering unusual, provocative, and unexpected amenities when you tout your brand as being “cool.”

Many companies have trouble doing this.  They know what they WANT to be…but they miss the mark on committing to the execution of that vision day in and day out. 

Not the Alamo Drafthouse movie theater in Austin, TX.

They SAY that they believe in protecting the moviegoers’ enjoyment of the cinema experience, and they are quite cheeky in the way they present this point of view.  Basically…if you text or talk on your phone during the movie, you get kicked out.  And they mean it.  Indeed, they actually do it.

Now, given this upstart and frisky personality they’ve defined for themselves, when someone gets kicked out and complains, do you think they’re going to take it lying down?  No way.  This brand is no shrinking violet, and they are fiercely passionate about this policy.

So what do they do?  They turn the complainer’s voicemail into a hilarious – and highly effective – “commercial,” that they now show before every movie, warning others to beware of the same fate.

Read the story and watch the commercial here, to have a good laugh.

Now THAT’S walking the walk.

3 thoughts on “A hilarious lesson in brand integrity…and manners.

  1. Pingback: The brilliant branding move of Angry Birds. « the voice of reason in marketing

  2. Pingback: Fun with marketing…no matter how boring the product. « the voice of reason in marketing

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