This--part of Hsieh's overall approach to customer service and marketing--is very much connected to an idea we explored last week. Marketing is not limited to advertising. In fact, according to Hsieh, advertising by its very nature is not the most effective type of marketing available to businesses precisely because customers correctly view it as an intrusion and an interruption. But once you get a customer on the phone--to track orders, to ask questions, to interact for any reason--you have earned her attention.

The stakes are higher, of course. A poorly received TV commercial may constitute a missed opportunity but it hardly affects a customer's long-term conception of the company. When a potential consumer confronts an unhelpful and frustrating customer service experience, however, you can be sure that he will remember the encounter. This is Hsieh's point: the more personal and focused the branding experience, the stronger the impression that will be left.