Written by Steve Ulrich on February 17, 2009 – 11:15 pm
In the late 1980′s United Airlines produced an advert that spoke more to “business values” than it did for “air travel.” A company president laments the loss of his oldest customer, realizes that the familiar way of doing business has become so much more impersonal and electronic, rather than the old face-to-face, relationship based, handshake to seal the deal way of conducting business. Life-long customers were expected and they were built on “relationships.” He has a plan to set this right, and shares it with his team.
This advert was done prior to e-mail, the Internet, wireless phones, pda’s and the other electronic tools that have become standard in our work. It is as relevant today as it was 20 years ago, maybe more so. View the video below and see how the mesage resonates with you.
The overarching theme of the advert has stayed with me ever since I saw it for the first time. I’m so pleased that it can be viewed on YouTube today. Take a look and then share your comments!