For those of you outside Chicago, this won’t resonate quite as much.
The lead story in both papers today is that Federated has decided to replace the venerable “Marshall Field’s” name with Macy’s. The only story that would cause more consternation is the relocation of Wrigley Field to the South Side. But there is a silver lining in every story. The silver lining in this story is Dawn Turner Trice’s column in today’s Chicago Tribune. The lead paragraph tells you exactly what you’re in for:
Renaming Marshall Field's indeed is a boneheaded move.
But, beyond the cachet a name carries, what stores have to offer that's far more valuable is service. No--good service.
Good service trumps a venerable name any day. It's what keeps consumers coming back year after year, and it's what eventually gets them waxing nostalgic.
The moral of the story comes in Ms. Trice’s last paragraph:
The new owners of Marshall Field's are counting on brand-loyalists one day forgiving them for changing the store's name to Macy's. And that may happen.
But the grudge consumers hold about not-so-good service is far more difficult to shake.
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