In 1971, American Tourister came out with a brilliant TV commercial.

It showed a guy shoving an orange American Tourister suitcase inside a cage and shutting the door just before a huge gorilla came out.

The narrator said this:

Dear clumsy bellboys, brutal cab drivers, careless doormen, ruthless porters, savage baggage masters, and all butter-fingered luggage handlers, all over the world…

Have we got a suitcase for you.

All while the gorilla was throwing the suitcase against the walls and basically beating the living daylights out of the thing.

The suitcase looked great. Didn’t seem ruffled at all.

It was an incredibly effective ad.

Within 30 seconds, American Tourister told a story that instantly connected with travelers who had seen their own luggage crushed and mishandled, as if a gorilla was using it for his new toy.

I was reminded of that commercial when recently, my husband received a hat he ordered through an Amazon Seller.

You’d think it was packed (and tossed around) by a gorilla.

The hat did not arrive in a box.

Instead, it came in one of those flimsy white plastic envelopes with no protective padding.

And it was folded over twice into a misshapen mess.

My husband was not impressed.

So what did he do?

He contacted Amazon for a refund and sent them pictures of the wadded-up hat. Then he did something that puts fear into every online business. He wrote a scathing Amazon customer review and included photographs.

Then he gave the seller the lowest mark possible and shared his story.

Then he went on Facebook, posted photos, named the company, and explained how disappointed he was with what had happened.

The business tried to reach out and (get this), said they were a “small company.”

If you’re a small company, you should be even MORE conscientious about delivering the best service!

I mean… this hat was mangled.

It had a metal rim that even once straightened out still didn’t look right. All this happened just before the holiday buying frenzy. And this business hires a gorilla to pack their hats.

Yesterday I tuned into Jay Baer’s Periscope (wish I had a link but I don’t and the scope is gone now). And guess what he was talking about?

That’s right. Customers complaining about their experience online.

He’s about ready to come out with his book, “Hug Your Haters,” which is a hilarious title. During the Periscope broadcast, he was reading a few excerpts from his book.

And his advice to companies who were complaining, saying if only there wasn’t Yelp, their business would be fine — was to shut up and improve your stinkin’ customer experience.

The problem isn’t Yelp or social media. The problem is the company’s lousy products and services.

Everything counts, now.

Maybe more than before.

Because now, everyone knows when a business makes a mistake.

If you want your marketing packed right and with care, we should talk. 

And I won’t maul your copy. ;-)