When it comes to branding, why do professional service firms like the Home Depots of the world? From large management companies to PR firms, they all say they can handle your brand. Even though it's not their specialty. So is it really all about size and the guarantee on a box?
What is a guarantee? Or better yet, why do people like it "on the box?" Simple, because it makes a man feel good. As Chris Farley was quoted movie Tommy Boy (1995):
Tommy Boy: Let's think about this for a sec, Ted, why do they put a guarantee on a box? Hmm, very interesting.
Ted: I'm listening.
Tommy Boy: Here's how I see it. A guy puts a guarantee on the box 'cause he wants you to feel all warm and toasty inside.
Ted: Yeah, makes a man feel good.
Tommy Boy: 'Course it does. Ya think if you leave that box under your pillow at night, the Guarantee Fairy might come by and leave a quarter.
Ted: What's your point?
Tommy Boy: The point is, how do you know the Guarantee Fairy isn't a crazy glue sniffer? "Building model airplanes" says the little fairy, but we're not buying it. Next thing you know, there's money missing off the dresser and your daughter's knocked up, I seen it a hundred times.
Ted: But why do they put a guarantee on the box then?
Tommy Boy: Because they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of crap. That's all it is. Hey, if you want me to take some of that and put in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time. But for right now, for your sake, for your daughter's sake, ya might wanna think about buying a quality item from me.
Ted: Hmm. Okay, I'll buy from you.
Tommy Boy: Well I... What?
Don't I wish it was that easy? Tommy Boy makes an excellent point. He would argue that the guarantee on a box is the difference between a big, jack-of-all-trades, company and the smaller company that specializes.
For example, Home Depot—300,000 employees, big company, offers a lot of products and services from flowers to showers to even designing your kitchen. I know this because guess who did my kitchen? Compare them to a company that specializes in kitchen design. XYZ Kitchen—10 to 15 employess. They're not as big as Home Depot but they swear by their tested products, industry focused people and personal service. So is this their guarantee on the box? Hmm, maybe they're on to something.
Home Depot's sold me on this the "team of people" that I'd be working with. The only team members were the designer who ordered the products and the person at the checkout counter. Not the subcontractor that showed up 3 hours late and that has never garned an orange apron in his life.
Okay, I'll admit it. I don't know why I did it. I didn't save money. It wasn't done faster. And I wouldn't even know who to call if there was a guarantee. In the end, when it was all said and done, they did a nice job on my kitchen. But, man, I have got stories for you. Hindsight is 20/20. From now on I'll buy from you too Tommy Boy.
