Sometimes, the easiest way to conjure up some Surprise in marketing is by adhering to a lil' sumptin' I call The Clint Eastwood Effect.
It's a seven-word credo that's incredibly powerful, but rarely administered. To wit:
Use few words.
Live up to them.
There we go. A la the screen legend, squint your eyes, follow the advice, and you'll be far ahead of the pack.
A fine theory, yes, but here's how it works in "da real world."
As FOPs know well, I am a frequent traveler, and last weekend, I bought my THIRD Briggs and Riley bag. I have their "Wheeled Wardobe," their expandable carry-on, and now, their most incredible two-suiter classic garment bag. Aside from the workmanship and the company's true understanding of the traveler, what keeps me coming back to Briggs and Riley is its 29-word, no-nonsense warranty, reproduced here in its entirety:
"If your Briggs & Riley bag
is ever broken or damaged,
even if it was caused by an airline,
we will repair it free of charge.
Simple as that!"
And after eight years of exclusively buying B&R travel gear, I've never had to enter the above comfort zone...
Until now.
Yup, while packing for a journey, the retractable handle of my Wheeled Wardrobe pulled right out. This is the oldest of my B&R collection...and time to see if the company can pull off the second half of the Clint Eastwood equation.
I called the 1-800 repair number on the website, reached a HUMAN BEING within 30 seconds, who told me of a local repair center, literally five minutes from my office. She didn't ask how it broke, who's fault it was, nor did she list some additional conditions or changes that may have been made to the bag's warranty in the near-decade I've had it.
All I have to do, she said, is drop the bag off, and as promised, it would be repaired for free.
So, off I go tomorrow to the repair center.
So far, so good? No, so far, so GREAT.
Let's see how they pull off the finale.
Go ahead, Briggs & Riley...Make My Day.