When I was little my grandmother insisted on buying her groceries at a small shop. We had to stand in line and wait to be served. And when it was finally our turn the old man whose store it was, would shuffle around gathering my grandmother’s order. The process was slow, and felt silly to me – there was a convenient, large, modern self-service grocery just down the street. But my grandmother was clear that she shopped here because “you can trust the shopkeeper, so you can trust the products”.

Wouldn’t you love it if your customers were so smitten with your way of doing business that they were willing to put up with the downsides of doing business with you, just to have that confidence?

How about customers so happy they were willing to speak up for you in your advertising? It may seem incredible, but take a look at this ad (in the guise of a story) from Hitachi.

What makes this work so well?

1. The story makes heroes of Fed Ex’s customer facing people – their drivers. The trucks and the drivers help transform how regular people view Fed Ex – and invite conversation and a sense of connection. Good for employee morale, good for public image, good for marketing.
2. Making the film has made heroes of the behind-the-scenes designers and sustainability folk and procurement people. So the message to employees is “we think what you do really matters”. And its done in a way that employees can show to their families – and broadcast in advertisements and on the internet.
3. The film highlights that there was a coherent thought – from development of the right parts all the way to consumer. Because sustainability is linked to every firm’s self-interest, it feels credible. And, it feels clever – you think “what a smart set of companies”. They had the right product and the right vision and the right people to get something on the market that the world needs right now. And they did it in a way that makes money. How cool is that?!

Was Hitachi’s process really so enlightened and smooth? I can’t say for sure. But after spending some time on their site looking at their supporting actions, I felt that they have an approach that is forward looking, very human, enlightened and still self-interested. And that makes me want to trust them.

And that’s really the ultimate goal: have people want to trust you. Because they see you the corporation, as you – a person. A being that is reasonable, and well-intentioned, even if you’re fallible.

Related posts:

1. Are your customers facing needlessly unpleasant tradeoffs?
2. Bags and bottles – tapped out.
3. Can goats help your green initiatives succeed like this?
4. Why is Wal-Mart Offering Environmental Audits to Government?
5. Is your brand getting the support it needs to be trusted?