This week’s unsuspecting brand issss American Express.

American Express is “an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment cards.” That sounds fancy, so I’m going to come at it from my perspective as a card holder. I love AMEX!

Okay, let’s dive into a few things that make American Express remarkable.

Tailored Content to Platform

Back in the late 1980s/early 1990s, American Express experienced a rather large loss of users due to a messaging problem. Boiling it down probably too simplistically, the were the card for the “rich, old people.” So they revamped their whole marketing strategy that attracted customers they weren’t able to attract in the past.

They used the old school version of influencer marketing by getting spokespeople like Tiger Woods and Jerry Seinfeld to appeal to younger, more diverse potential card holders. They strategically placed ads (remember, this is pre-internet) with different spokespeople in specific places. For example, Tiger was put in weekly news publications like the Wall Street Journal and Jerry was on TV commercials. They reached new card holders and repositioned themselves as a more attainable card.

Incentivize Customers

As with many cards, American Express rewards you for the purchases you make. I think that’s called positive reinforcement…if I am remembering my college psych classes correctly… Some purchases earn more rewards than others. For example, flights booked through American Express earn more points. We always book our flights through American Express for this reason! They are incentivizing experience-based purchases to get you to use their card more often.

Knock-Out Client Experience

An often overlooked area of branding is client experience. American Express provides incredible customer service to its card holders. I have had to refute a charge or two in the past (call me a Karen, I don’t care) and they are always quick to hear you out and advocate on your behalf.

Also, story time: On our fifth anniversary, we were living outside of DC and wanted to do a night out at a nice restaurant…but we procrastinated and couldn’t get a reservation at The Capital Grille, you know the one where all the Senators go. So instead, we called the American Express concierge service. They had a reservation for us for the next day at a prime time…and got us a free dessert that had “Happy Anniversary” written in chocolate syrup. If that isn’t customer service…I don’t know what is. 

Now let’s talk about how you can take these strategies from a big brand and apply them to YOUR small business:

1. Consider which platform you are on when you create content specifically for it. We aren’t often doing print ads and TV commercials anymore, but we are certainly doing Instagram and YouTube. The type of user for these two platforms, although could be the same, are likely part of a slightly different demographic. So be aware of that when you create content for a specific platform. 
2. Reward your customers for doing what you want them to do. Maybe this rewards program could look like a free product after a certain dollar number of purchases. Think like coffee shops that give you a free coffee after you purchase 10!
3. Don’t overlook client experience! How can you create an experience unlike anything they’ve experienced before? When they’re done with the transaction, they will remember how you made them FEEL! So walk through each step of the process and find ways to dazzle them.

Alright, now that we have dove into this big brand, I’m not sure what you’re waiting on—but it’s time you get out there and grow!

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