The Lifestream of Jon Moss

Keywords that matter

April 30 2009, 4:56pm

Last week, I had a small problem with a movie I rented via iTunes. Apple cleared it up quickly and all was well in Jackie Land. I hadn't responded to the company's last email when this email arrived:Dear Jackie,This is Stacy, with a courtesy follow-up. I haven't heard from you and wanted to make sure that your request was handled to your satisfaction. You've truly been a remarkable asset to the iTunes Store Family and as such I don't want to leave you without any type of resolution, so if you do not respond, I will be closing this request. I hope that you continue to enjoy the iTunes Store and would like to thank you for being such a wonderful member of our family. Please remember if you require any further assistance I'm only an email away. Have an awesome day!Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to assist you. You may receive an AppleCare survey email; any feedback you provide would be greatly appreciated.Sincerely,StacyTier 1 iTunes Store SupportSure, it may be something of a form letter, but it's a really good one. It's not a stilted, lifeless form letter from a big corporation, and that's because of Stacy's intelligent use emotional keywords: truly remarkable family wonderful awesome

Those keywords create emotional context. They are Pavlovian bells that remind us of our emotional attachment to Apple. Formal language need not be a standard formality, as Stacy's letter aptly demonstrates.Now if her email had contained a thumbnail pict of a smiling Stacy, or a link to her Twitter profile, that would've been over the top, further cementing an already strong emotional connection I have with Apple.