Out for delivery
It’s a mistake to think that brands are made of “intangibles.” A company’s brand is built on deliverables, and the brand is effectively “out for delivery” every second of the day. If that delivery process breaks down, in one way or another, the brand takes a hit.
Read Kottke on a brand breakdown involving Harry Potter, Amazon and UPS. The story begins with details of what didn’t happen. It will end on how the brand(s) restore their customer connections.
Weak brands promise; great brands deliver
An extraordinary event, such as the Harry Potter release, can put an enormous strain on brand connections. The resilience in those connections, built and reinforced by streams of deliverables over time, can mean that a brand bends, but does not break.
Update: Jason Kottke received his book the following Monday (delivered by USPS rather than UPS), and received a refund from Amazon. See here.