Foursquare take 2 – On May 21st 2010 I made my 1,214th Foursquare check-in and then quit. I had loved the game and the challenge of becoming mayor of every would be destination in my life. The problem was my iPhone 3G was too damn slow – which could be traced to a combination of issues: iOS 4 didn’t jive with the old school 3Gs and the AT&T signal quality was bollocks, pretty much everywhere I went. Yesterday March 12th 2011 I made my 1,215th Foursquare check-in and I’m thrilled to announce it was quick, easy and fulfilling with the Verizon iPhone. Everything I knew it could be. I’m gonna give the game a second chance now that I’ve upgraded my equipment and carrier and see if it can infect me the same way again.
Dunkin Donuts take 47 – I recently got a train station parking permit at the best (for me) train station in town. This station is a couple of minutes closer to home and pretty much guarantees I get a very good seat on the train each day, unlike my previous station. With the old station I gave up my morning cup of Dunkin Donuts for a cup of the local brew which was right on the way. Aside from the very rare occasion, I had all but abandoned Dunkin Donuts coffee for the convenience and rhythm the local joint afforded me in my commute. Now I’m happy to report Dunkin Ds is closer and – I’m back to the cup a day Joe I was.
Sometimes you will lose customers through something that is no fault of your own. The trick to insulate yourself from this inevitability is to give obsessive focus to making your product as good as it can be. When circumstances change (and they always do) you’ll be well positioned to always be welcoming back a segment of brand fans you’ve lost touch with.
