Morrisons supermarket has recently
proven that having a sense of humour and communicating well with your customers
can have spin-off public relations benefits.
Earlier this month the supermarket
gave its backing to the owner of a convenience store that changed its name to
‘Morrisinghs’, even though he used a very similar logo to the official logo of
the supermarket giant.
But Sainsbury's (one of Morrisons’
main rivals) has made itself look petty and vindictive by not adopting the same
friendly attitude.
The convenience store, owned by Jel
Singh Nagra, was originally called ‘Singhsbury's’. The sign outside looked
suspiciously like the Sainsbury’s logo, using the same typestyle and the same
distinctive orange logo.
Sainsbury’s threatened legal action
against Mr Nagra unless he took down the sign outside his shop in West
Allotment in North Tyneside.
Mr Nagra complied with their request,
but he said his customers still called it Singhsbury's because the name had
stuck. But after a revamp of the store, a customer suggested it was time for a new
name. So Mr Nagra came up with ‘Morrisinghs’ instead.
Unlike the heavy-handed approach by
Sainsbury's, their rivals Morrisons could see the humour in this situation and
have allowed Mr Nagra to keep the new name and logo - even though it is very
similar to their own branding.
A Morrisons spokesman said: "Mr
Nagra and his customers obviously have good taste so we wish him well."
Mr Nagra said: "It's just meant
as banter. I wanted to put West Allotment on the map. We are not in competition
with them. I take my hat off to Morrisons - well done to them. This is all meant in
jest."
And the result? The story appeared in
nearly every national newspaper in the UK and on national TV and radio.
Morrisons have been depicted by the media as the nice, friendly supermarket,
while Sainsbury's have been depicted as the big nasty company that has no sense
of humour and threatens legal action against a small businessman.
Which only goes to prove that good
communications and a friendly approach will not only endear you to your
customers, but it can also have some very positive benefits to your public
image.
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