Then she said something that made him shudder. She repeated the question. The checker didn't flinch. The adventurer huffed, snatched the bags and strode out, having survived his first experience here in a Safeway, where even the fittest must adapt to unflinching offers of customer service. A recent market survey measuring how local people relate to corporate brands found that residents ranked Safeway first among 90 large companies doing business in Hawai ' i.
Experts say a corporate brand comes to signal what the company means to customers.
Gloria Garvey, a marketing-strategy consultant, said top brands know who their customers are and maintain a clear, often simple focus on serving them. Companies with the strongest brands keep their promises, said Garvey, a partner in the Kailua-based firm Garvey and Gramann, which specializes in branding. And in some cases, as in the invention of the Sony Walkman, companies can introduce brand-centered ideas even before customers ask. Company President Hersh Singer said researchers quizzed 2,500 randomly selected residents on an extensive list of issues, including whether they thought specific companies were trustworthy, friendly, a good value and a good place to work. Other queries covered such areas as customer satisfaction, community service and technology use.