After 53 Years, It's No Longer Amusing

Alaska and Hawaii became American states in 1959.  Over the years, we've grown used to people asking if they need a passport to come to Hawaii for a visit.  And we usually tolerate people who come to Hawaii and talk about "back in the states."  But marketers should know better.  Companies and organizations (including the US Department of Commerce!) have chosen to graphically portray the United States by including an outline of the 48 states.  I checked on the date today: it's 2012, 53 years after that map became obsolete.

In today's Honolulu Star Advertiser, there is an ad for AT&T's wireless service, touting "The Nation's Largest 4G Network."  The dominant graphic is, you guessed it, an outline map of the continental "lower 48."  And this is in an ad that ran in Hawaii!!

Somebody in the AT&T marketing department ... Please pay attention.  Or sign up for a history course.

Using Technology to Improve Customer Service

While traveling in Europe, I visited a restroom in the Munich airport that used an innovative technology application to improve customer service.  Mounted on the restroom wall was an electronic polling device.  Users were asked to rate the cleanliness of the restroom by pushing the appropriate smiley button. 

Now, I don't know how management is using this information ... but it has the potential of providing feedback quickly ... and labeled with time-of-day. 

Maybe more importantly, it's a signal to the housekeeping employees that cleanliness is a high priority for the organization.  And, used intelligently, the results can help provide good feedback to housekeeping, telling them when the restroom most likely needs cleaning.  If the information is available in real time, it can even provide the ability to dispatch a cleaning crew when a frowney face is selected. 

Technology marches on ... into the restroom. 

New Advertising Media

I've been delinquent in my blogging.  But a recent sighting on a trip to Europe inspired me to resurrect my postings. 

While waiting for our bags to arrive in the Munich airport, a case went 'round and 'round on the carousel ... featuring a Heineken beer display.  Since there were no bags on the carousel, the passengers waiting for their bags had nothing to do but look at the display case.  Great example of creative media thinking.