Friday, March 23, 2012

Should Celebrities Give Great Customer Service?


On my flight to Chicago yesterday, I picked up a People magazine to bide my time on the three and a half hour trip.  I am actually one of those crazy people who reads a magazine cover to cover including the MailBag section.  A letter to the editor caught my eye, so here is the letter in full:

"Thank you for your usual fine coverage of the Oscar celebrations.  This year I had the good fortune 
to be in the red carpet bleachers, and I must report that absolutely the most generous and kind celebrity in terms of fan interactions was George Clooney.  He was clearly having a great time and was the only star I saw who came over to the velvet ropes to sign autographs and allow fans to take photos.  As an expert in customer service, I applaud George Clooney for great service to his customer at the 84th Annual Academy Awards." 
Donna Cutting Asheville, N.C.

Most people might read a letter like that and pass it off as a fan letter to George Clooney, but what struck me was her comment about customer service to his fans.  After going through two Oscar cycles and interviewing more celebrities as a result, it is important for actors to understand that giving great customer service is a part of their job.  Now, I'm not talking about jumping up to greet fans at every meal or while on vacation, but making an effort to walk over to fans at premieres, red carpets, and public press events goes a long way with the people who are essentially paying the stars' salary with each film that is released.  George is a master at this, but the man who wrote the book on fan customer service is Tom Cruise.  Whether you like him or not, he is one of the kindest celebrities who always says "yes" to his fans.  Why?  He "gets" it.  He knows that these are the people that created his career, that bought tickets to Top Gun and stayed with him through his latest Mission Impossible film, and he knows that one small interaction with him will make a great impression.....and keep that fan buying tickets to his movies.  


When I do radio appearance like here or here, I often get asked who my favorite celebrities are to interview.  My favorites celebrities are usually the ones you don't expect because often times the bigger names have a tendency to disappoint me in interviews.  They hate to do press, they don't want to be in the room, and they don't try to hide it.  I totally understand that the questions can be inane and repetitive, but sitting through eight hours of a press junket at a five star hotel is way better than being a coal miner, right?  I have repeated it over and over, but it's a part of their job.  It may not be their favorite part of the job, but it comes with the territory of fame, money, and celebrity.  So, I would love to see some stars embrace this part of their job and enjoy the process because it is the press and the fans who make sure your next ten million dollar paycheck clears.  Sadly, the George Clooneys and Tom Cruises in the industry are pretty rare, but that quality is also what makes them huge A-List stars.  They just "get" it.  

If you want to read more on press and the entertainment industry, see my other articles here and here.  

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5 comments:

  1. Why wouldn't Cloney be in a good mood, do you see who he is standing next to? The chap should be doing chartwheels and handing out $20 dollar bills before finding a grassy hilltop on which to spin around and belt out showtunes. 

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kristyn,

    How much fun it is to find your blog post referencing my comment in People Magazine. Thank you! I agree completely. While I've never had the pleasure of meeting Tom Cruise, it's evident that he is completely devoted to service to his fans. My guess is that if he had been attending the particular Academy Awards when I was in the bleachers - he would have jumped over that velvet rope right alongside George Clooney.

    I also agree with you here: aside from their obvious gifts, it is their "customer" service that keeps them at the top of the A-list - as it is with organizations who value service to their customers.

    Again, thanks for referencing my comment! You've got a new fan and blog reader.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How awesome! I am so glad you found this article. It really was a great letter that you wrote to People Magazine and it inspired this article. It's so interesting that Tom is back in the news for different reasons. Let's see how this affects his career this time around. It's tough to be in the public eye.

      Thank you again! I look forward to hearing more from you. :) Kristyn

      Delete
  3. I know - sad situation for sure. I feel for all involved.

    ReplyDelete

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