New York, Old Skills

I was recently lucky enough to spend a week in New York to see some of the great work we've been doing in the States.
It's always great to take a bite out of the big apple.
But this time, the first thing that struck me ........was a mugger.
Sorry, old joke.
Too easy?
Anyway, what actually struck me was how the city gets a bad rap from the rest of the world.
Everyone sees it as a rude, brusque, rush-rush kind of place.
And sure, there's a reason why they call it a New York minute.
Even so, everyone who works there, takes the time to show how committed they are to their role. The security guard on the door of the sports store where I bought the obligatory NY Jets and Yankees T-shirts understood that he was part of the retail experience.
And acted accordingly.
The bus-boys, whose role it was to clear plates and fill water glasses in the Hilton, acted as though lives depended on their proficiency.
And the 70 year-old waitress in the world-famous Carnegie Deli (sorry if you're not actually 70 Monica, you've had a hard life) did her bit to enhance the dining experience.
Even the cab driver, who took me and a grumbling, moaning colleague back to the hotel after a night out, couldn't have been more helpful.
If, as we say, the experience IS the marketing, what are we doing to ensure that those human touchpoints are fully engaged with the businesses they represent?
After all, they're the experiences that live longest in the memory.
It's vital to help them understand the role they play as part of the newly evolved marketing mix.
And they need to be rewarded accordingly.
By the way, my legal team have advised me to point out that any similarities between Adrian Power and my grumbling colleague are entirely coincidental.