A Cautious Return to British Airways

Here's the thing: I used to love British Airways. In 2001/2, I was working for a Canadian company based in St John, New Brunswick. I flew out there from London every couple of months. Rather than take Air Canada's more direct routing, I flew the intercontinental leg with BA, via Toronto Pearson airport, because I liked BA. I flew regularly enough, I'd often get upgraded. From Toronto, I'd take a regional Air Canada flight to St John (YSJ).

And then...That Day. I was travelling for a rather critical first-thing-in-the-morning meeting. The BA flight was delayed more than 2½ hours. Arriving at Pearson, I'd missed my connecting flight, the last to YSJ, though I'd allowed plenty of transfer time. So I went to BA's desk to ask what they could do to help. I'd hoped for at least a hotel room, so that I could catch the early red-eye to YSJ the following morning. Were they helpful?

Not a bit of it. Their attitude was: "You didn't book your connecting flight with us, so it's not our problem." Mine was, "You caused my delay. It is your problem." We went round this loop many times, until I gave up and went away. They truly couldn't care less. I couldn't believe how badly they'd let me down.

I told them, then and there, that I would lobby to have BA removed from the company's Preferred Supplier List, and from the PSL of any future company, and would not fly BA again for many, many years to come - perhaps never. They probably heard that every day, and shrugged. But I meant it.

So, world-weary and despondent, I staggered over to the Air Canada desk. Before I'd even spoken, the lady there said, "You look like you've been in the wars!" I told her my tale of woes. She looked shocked. "Well, let's see what we can do."

Much rattling of keyboards. A few minutes later: "OK, Jon," (she'd remembered I prefer that to Jonathan), "I've got you routed through Halifax. You've a four-hour stop, then you catch the early flight to St John. That'll get you there for 8am. And you need a bit of pampering, so you're business class all the way. You'll like that. We've got massage seats. You look like you need it!"

I was beyond grateful. This is just how Customer Service is done. It wasn't even their problem, but they cared, and went far beyond anything I could have expected. I fell in love with Air Canada at that moment.

And I kept my word. I haven't flown BA, since. In the intervening 13 years, I've been Director of several companies (CEO of most). I've been consultant to many others. BA was removed from the PSLs, as promised. Given my flying pattern, BA's lost approaching £100,000 of my own flights, and probably over £1M more from being off the PSLs. This is the cost of one bad customer experience.

However...I'm at a conference in Vegas soon. The only airlines with direct flights are BA and Virgin Atlantic. I've always loved Virgin - I think I've probably around 100k unspent Flying Club miles - but...BA had a flight sale, undercutting Virgin by 50%, and I couldn't ignore that any longer. At last, I booked. (Sorry, Sir Richard!)

I actually want to give BA a chance for redemption. It has an excellent flight network - and oneworld even more so. It's time. Despite the BA2276 fire - a one-off incident, I hope! - I'm looking forward to it. With some trepidation, I'll admit, but I want to be pleased. I want to be impressed. Above all, I want to see good customer service from British Airways, to give me confidence to fly with them again.

I'll report back.

Promotional Gifts - How Not To Waste Your Money!

This came out of a discussion on the "Collaborative Cambridge" Facebook group, which seems to have become dormant in recent months.

The question arose: "Has anyone explored the world of corporate gifts (e.g. pens, coasters, etc.)? If so, what, why and did they achieve what you wanted?"

My conclusions: you need to pick the items that'll keep your details in front of the target the longest.

Pens are a waste of time. They get lost, chewed, run out of ink. Cheap pens aren't a good look in an exec's hand; neither are pens branded for someone else's company. And if they dump a load of ink in your customer's bespoke suit pocket, you won't make friends, to say the least.

Mouse-mats? Maybe, but how many do you use? One at most. So why would your prospects use yours instead of someone else's? Novelty items, like juggling balls? How are they going to keep your message in your targets' eyes for more than a moment? Same goes for coasters.

And don't get me on giveaway sweet packets...they've a half-life of ten exhibition stands away from yours!

No, the things that work, in my humble opinion, are useful items that don't shame an executive's desk. So let's talk about a few of those.

Memory sticks with a keyring attachment - important! - are good, particularly if etched/inscribed rather than printed (most screen printing gets worn off quickly). Only use ones with a decently useful capacity. "One gig? Seriously? Pointless!" Make sure they're pre-loaded with your sales literature.

Mugs are great. But remember that the top execs may not like having mugs rather than fancy china on their desks, so pick your target. Give them to everyone you work with at your clients, and donate to suitable organisations who will have visitors/workers/members in your target market areas, so they and their visitors see a cupboard-full of your mugs. Mugs have long working lives, promoting your biz. Don't forget contact information as well as branding! Consider QR codes.

Water bottles for runners will have your customers grateful to you every time they stop for a long, cool drink. Not so useful for a fifty-something besuited, overweight Board member, though - so, again, pick your target.

Desk clocks - but only the stylish ones. Added points for small displays of month's calendar, and temperature and pressure. Even if your customer gives them to her geek kid, it'll be seen by the customer regularly. My daughter has one on her laptop table. Amazingly, the vendor didn't bother to brand it. I can't remember who gave it now, just that it came from a cloud tech expo.

Visible to their customer daily? Achieved. Brand recognition? FAIL!

Tear-off notepads, like those spiral ones with a through-hole that acts as a pen-holder, with your details discreetly on each page. (Top tip: include a near-end page saying: "Running out? Give us a call, and we'll gladly send you a new pad!") The same goes for sticky-note pads...but with hundreds of leaves, not skinny ones with just 50 or 100. Remember, the idea's to keep that message in front of your customer as long as possible.

Leather folders with A4 notepads (again, details on each page, and a "refill" reminder). I still use one I got years ago. Looks stylish, and it's useful. But imprint with your details inside, not outside. Looks are everything in luxury goods, so keep the branding where it's seen every time the recipient opens it, even if they've replaced your pad with a generic. Oh, and think carefully about the leather. Calf-skin probably won't play well with Indian businesspeople; likewise pig-skin amongst Muslim or Jewish prospective customers. Did I mention, "Pick your target"?

Shoulder/laptop bags - but don't bother unless you're going to spend for a top-quality desirable item: you want your target to abandon your competitors' cheaper-looking ones for yours! So be discreet about logo and contact details. Embroider rather than print; it's a classier look.

Linen or hessian tote bags are surprisingly effective, and durable. Durable is good.

Even draw-string kit bags, the sort that kids take to school holding their gym or swimming kit, are useful. It'll be seen often around your customer's house, and the kids will remind them if they forget who provided the bag!

Basically, the take-away message (pun somewhat intended) is to think about what's going to promote you in the longer term - and don't cheap out. And that means being selective about who you give gifts to, too, otherwise you may as well hand out unbranded pound coins instead.

Make your give-aways memorable, useful and retained by their recipients, and they won't be a waste of money.

Irritation Advertising Part One: Web Pages

I have a confession to make. I use AdBlock Plus in all my browsers. I simply don't see ads.

The reason I block ads is because of the really spammy ones. The ones that whir, flash, jigger around in my peripheral vision, shouting "Look at me! Look at ME! LOOK AT MEEEEEEE!"

Advertisers really think that the way to get my willing compliance is to annoy the living crud out of me - or give me a migraine? (Seriously: that's a thing. I don't need more migraine than I already have. It's very effective aversion therapy for adverts.)

So they spoil it for everyone else. I don't mind sidebar ads, provided they don't compress the actual content into a Brazilian-waxed mini-strip down the middle. I don't mind ads that don't jump up and down like a clingy, demanding three-year-old, having tantrums when I don't pay attention. Sometimes, targeted ads that play nicely will even get my clicks. But the others, the irritating ones, have poisoned the well for the rest, because you can't filter for "spammy", so I block the lot. And I'm very, very far from being alone in this, as industry stats illustrate so well.

I appreciate that this breaks the unwritten compact between content consumer and producer: that the presences of adverts - even if not the deliberate click-through - are what pay for the content we consume.

So, this is my message to the advertising industry, and to the content makers: get your act together.

• Advertisers: stop equating causing irritation with getting attention. Would you reward someone for stamping on your toes?
• Producers: apply controls on who advertises through you, and how they do it. Play nicely, and come down hard on those who won't.

Do these things, and consumers might stop routinely using AdBlock Plus and its rivals.

AdBlock is not the disease, it's the symptomatic treatment for one. Cure the disease, and patients won't need the medicine.