What Kids Know About Effective Marketing

A while back my daughter came home from school announcing that she had joined the high school water polo team. Not wanted to join, or intending to try out, but joined. She was on the team.

My other daughter came home some days later with an iced coffee for me that she carried home while riding her bike.

My son came home last week and announced at 3:30 pm that he was going to try out for the basketball team. Tryouts were at 5 pm.

In each of these instances, I was surprised. And delighted.

If you're in marketing, especially high tech marketing, you're familiar with the concept, which rose to prominence in the early 2000s as consumer tech companies, especially perhaps Apple, increasingly focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences to differentiate themselves from the competition.

But the concept has been in place commercially since at least medieval times with the "baker's dozen" practice of including a 13th item. It generated trust and loyalty. Creole and other communities in the south have the whole concept of "lagniappe" -- a little something extra to go beyond what you expect or asked for.

My kids didn't have any ulterior motives here (well, except maybe the coffee one -- she's a bit savvy in the behavioral influence department), but they gained a tremendous advantage in securing my attention and commitment to supporting them in what came next.

I looked forward to driving my daughter to the pool for practice at 6 am. I was happy to make a tasty after-school snack for the kids while I sipped on my caffeinated beverage.  After years of flag football, baseball, and too many trips to the driving range, I was proud that my son was adding another sport to his experiences as a kid.

Used with intention, surprise and delight is a fantastic methodology for gaining support for your goals, whatever they may be. They're a win-win. They feel good on the giving end and on the receiving end. These ideas come to us innately as kids. We like to make others, particularly our parents, feel good. And that makes us feel good.

Think about what you might do to surprise and delight anther person today. See how it makes you feel.