On Friday I popped to my local branch of Waitrose to pick up a click and collect parcel and on my way out, was gifted a lovely tub of hyacinths.
The message on the card read, “Enjoy this small gift from us for Feel Good Friday. Why not pass on an act of kindness of your own? Bring a smile to someone’s day. #BeKindFriday.
I can’t lie… I almost teared up.
I went home and posted about my little gift on our work Twitter account. This isn’t the first time I’ve commented on a brand in a positive light. Working in marketing we often comment on brands’ advertising, packaging or messaging as it’s relevant to our work so I really wasn’t expecting any more than the usual handful of likes and maybe acknowledgement from the brand in question if we were really lucky.
After minutes, my phone began pinging like never before. Likes, retweets and comments aplenty. By the end of the day we had registered over 25,000 impressions.
We have around 600 followers so it’s not as if we’re a massive voice on the Twitter stage, but somehow, our experience inspired people and hit a nerve. I guarantee this initiative wouldn’t have gained nearly so much traction pre-lockdown. So are we feeling more vocal? More appreciative? More willing to show our feelings?
Whatever the reason, it’s made me feel less judgmental towards the big brands trying to make a difference in challenging times. I genuinely appreciated the gesture and it did make a difference to me so brownie points for Waitrose this week for judging the mood and doing a good turn. Time to pass it on…
Not exactly how I planned it 