Hemingway Takes on Customer Engagement

I recently asked our good friend ChatGPT “What would Ernest Hemingway say about ‘customer engagement’?

Her response?

“…Hemingway was known for his direct, no-nonsense writing style, which emphasized clarity and simplicity. He famously advised writers to “write the truest sentence that you know,” and his own work often featured spare, understated prose that conveyed powerful emotions and ideas with economy and precision.

Based on this emphasis on directness and simplicity, it’s possible that Hemingway would view customer engagement as a matter of being honest, straightforward, and authentic with customers. He might argue that businesses should focus on providing high-quality products and services, rather than relying on flashy marketing gimmicks or manipulative sales tactics to engage customers. In Hemingway’s view, the best way to engage customers would be to offer them something of real value and to treat them with respect and honesty…

Beautiful in her brevity (a la Hemingway himself), ChatGPT provides us a glimpse into how one of the greatest American writers would view customer engagement and event hospitality today.

What can we take from this? Here are a few ideas from the Best.Day.Ever. team on how to implement Hemingway’s perspective.

  • Authenticity is key — figure out what your ideal customer profile is for each event, identify their personal wins, and then ensure your guest experience checks the boxes on those wins as early and as often as possible.
  • RESPECT — from the event coordinators to the VIP customers, a successful activation can only happen when the entire value chain is seen and celebrated for their contributions.
  • Let the quality do the talking — do not try and put lipstick on a pig. Remove parts of an experience that are just window dressing and focus in on the parts of substance; allowing you to ensure that your brand and your people are associated with the quality presented.

We could go on and on, but true to Hemingway we will keep our list short and effective.

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