Dischord
For every interaction I've ever had with Dischord, I've always received a little personalized *something* back. The value of them taking 10 seconds to recognize me personally like this can't be overstated. The picture above is of a little photocopied piece of artwork that I received with an order about a month ago. I've been using it as a bookmark. I could've just chucked this scrap of paper, but doing that didn't feel right. Instead I left it on my desk and when I needed a bookmark a couple days later, there it was. And now I've looked at the Dischord logo every day for a month.
The most extreme example of this I can think of is when a band I was in submitted a demo tape to them. We didn't realize at the time that Dischord only dealt with DC area bands, but instead of just leaving us to wonder what happened, we received back a note explaining their mission to document the DC punk scene along with some words of encouragement. It's been like 15 years and I don't have that piece of paper, but I remember it.
I'm certain that Dischord doesn't do this kind of thing with the intent of creating brand loyalty or somesuch marketing bullshit. They're just being warm and personable. But the result is I don't feel like I'm a "customer." No matter how logically misguided what I'm about to say is, I feel like I have a personal relationship with them, that we've had a moment, even if it's akin to something as small as smiling at a passerby on the sidewalk.
Even in this cynical, brutal world, a little personal warmth still goes a long way.
