A Lake Placid Mugging

March 25, 2011 by 4 Comments

I was bummed.

Pulling my coffee out of the microwave, I managed to bang my favorite mug against the edge and shatter it, not only spilling coffee everywhere, but losing a symbol one of my fond memories.

Lake Placid, NY.

You see, I met my wife-to-be in Lake Placid during the summer of 1979, just before the “Miracle on Ice” Winter Olympics (still my favorite sports memory of all time!). We spent part of our honeymoon there, and have visited numerous times over the years, always happy to re-live the memories, and to introduce our kids to the sights and pleasures of that little Adirondack getaway.

Last summer, we had the pleasure of enjoying lunch at the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery, and there I spotted a mug similar in shape and size to one I’d purchased in LP way back in ’79. So, I bought it.

Then, a few weeks back, broke it.

Because I have fun sharing life events on Twitter, I posted a picture of me mugging with my remaining half-mug, and got some funny messages of sympathy. But then, lo and behold, a unexpected note from Kimberly Rielly at the Lake Placid Twitter account:

I loved the fact that LP has someone in charge of monitoring tweets that mention the destination. But I loved even more that Kim reached out via e-mail and really did offer to fix one of these tragedies. And, she did (together with the fine folks at the Brewery)!  A few days, later, I get this box in the mail, and sure enough, it put a whole new expression on my previously-saddened mug–>

And that, my friends, is how to use social media to delight customers. Happily, our local libation store now carries Lake Placid Brewery Ubu Ale, so I’ll be enjoying some of it this weekend.

This spring will be our 30th anniversary, and this summer the 32nd anniversary of our meeting in LP. It’ll be a little bit sweeter knowing that Lake Placid is not just a far-away memory, but an up-to-date source of gladness!

Now, for some more coffee…

————-

Subscribe to the Connection Agent blog via Reader (RSS) | via e-mail

Twitter: @ConnectionAgent | @swoodruff

Connect with Steve Woodruff

Filed under Customer service, Inspiration, Social Media, Twitter Tagged with ,

About Steve Woodruff
Steve Woodruff is a blogger, a Connection Agent, and a consultant in the pharma/healthcare industry. He specializes in helping people and companies make mutually beneficial connections.

4 Responses to A Lake Placid Mugging

  1. Zoe Geddes-Soltess says:
    March 25, 2011 at 11:39 am

    Thank you for sharing this, Steve. I am always excited when I come across examples of brands who really get what social media is all about. This is a great example of a brand using social media to listen to its customers and engage with them on a meaningful personal level. Another example of this that I love to share is the KLM Surprise campaign. They have a great video on their YouTube channel that makes me smile every time I watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqHWAE8GDEk

    Thank you again and have a great weekend!

    Zoe Geddes-Soltess
    Community Engagement Specialist, Radian6 @zodot

  2. Kirsten Wright says:
    March 26, 2011 at 3:58 pm

    It makes me so happy to see that there are brands and companies that really DO get it 🙂 And I am glad to see the smile – and the new mug!

  3. Craig Juengling says:
    March 27, 2011 at 12:01 pm

    Great story; thank you for sharing it.

  4. Joann Reed says:
    March 28, 2011 at 2:01 pm

    That’s our Kim – she’s knows her social media stuff and she knows the importance of a good beer mug!
    Nice job.
    Joann