I am really not sure if this trend will prove true for 2011 but I have my fingers crossed.
It’s the “Rise of Generation G” and year of “R.A.K..”
According to trendwatching.com (an international consumer trend company) 2011 will be highlighted by “Generation Generosity” (where businesses will have to behave more kindly than in years past) and where companies will practice R.A.K – “Random Acts of Kindness.”
Here’s how trendwatching.com puts it:
“There’s no better way for a brand in 2011 to put its money where its mouth (or heart) is than engaging in Random Acts of Kindness (R.A.K.). Consumers’ cravings for realness, for the human touch, ensure that everything from brands randomly picking up the tab to sending a surprise gift will be one of the most effective ways to connect with (potential) customers in 2011 – especially beleaguered consumers in North America, Europe and Japan.”
Certainly Zappos has figured out R.A.K.! Whether it’s through behaviors like surprise shipping upgrades or senior leaders signing the Zappos “Culture Book” and sending it out to random customers, Zappos has generosity, kindness, and positive surprise in its DNA (which makes it a pure delight to work with and write about them in my upcoming book The Zappos Experience.)
But what about other companies? Who else is practicing R.A.K. with their customers?
Are you addressing your “consumers’ cravings for realness and the human touch?”
If not, you can be a trendsetter in 2011, because it’s time to R.A.K and roll!
