I have never thought about how much a surprise can trigger’s somebody’s engagement. The first example used in the chapter was hearing your favorite song on the radio. I get so excited when my favorite song comes on, because it is a nice surprise. It is so much more exciting than when you play it on your own when listening to your iPod. This chapter uses Photojojo as another great example of surprise that engages customers. I will be the first to admit that I would certainly get hooked into buying more items because of the surprise features on their website. Anything with surprise and excitement will immediately catch my attention.

When the chapter discusses the difference between Twitter’s layout changes and Facebook’s there was one thing I slightly disagreed with. Although I do believe people like to have the option to change layouts on their own, it works quicker to force it upon people like Facebook does. Yes, some people will react negatively to it, but they will eventually get used to it. With Twitter, there may be some people who never work up the courage to change layouts, and they are forever behind with updates.

This chapter was one of my favorites so far. I loved the examples it gave on how to attract the customer and make them feel special. I have never thought about using surprise, delight and anticipation in such strategic ways. As a PR professional, giving one’s brand a personality is so important. This is something I will always remember once I get out of college and starting putting these strategies into play.

Originally posted at Taylor Jurica- Gaylord Journalism Student