SERVICETUDE

I’m sure I’ll get emails about my poor spelling, but instead I’m guilty of a very marketing-like activity: making up words. No, I did not mean to write “Servitude”. I did mean to play on it though.

From Webster’s 1913 dictionary Serv’i`tude – noun 1. The state of voluntary or compulsory subjection to a master; the condition of being bound to service; the condition of a slave; slavery; bondage; hence, a state of slavish dependence. 2. Servants, collectively. 3. (Law) A right whereby one thing is subject to another thing or person for use or convenience, contrary to the common right.

Springtime in Paris

Recently returned from a heavenly trip to Paris (France, not Las Vegas as one of my offspring mistakenly quipped), I was delighted to find the Parisians to be so gracious, warm and SERVICE ORIENTED. Everywhere I went I was greeted with a musical, “Bonjour Madame!”, which I quickly became enamored of hearing. What was most refreshingly obvious was that “the condition of being bound to service” was not an ugly thing to them. This was contrary to my expectations. The Parisians changed my “brand” perceptions of them.

When was the last time you remember being the recipient of really great service? The deterioration of really good service, or more importantly “service attitude” in the States has bothered me for a long time. I will save more ranting about that for other times. But in relation to brand, I can’t think of a better way to build one – and a quicker way to tear one down – than through SERVICETUDE. You can either have a GOOD one, or a BAD one. Kind of like Dorothy’s witch.

Donna