It’s 2012 in Bethel, Alaska, a remote town where the idea of grabbing a quick taco feels like a fantasy.
Then one day, flyers start circulating: a Taco Bell is opening soon.
For locals, this is huge news. Excitement spreads. Finally, a slice of fast-food heaven coming their way.
Except… it’s not true.
The flyers were a hoax, and for a town with limited food options the disappointment hit hard. How could you blame them really?
But this is where the story gets interesting.
Taco Bell didn’t ignore the situation or start scrambling to write a PR statement. They leaned into empathy and turned frustration into delight.
They launched Operation Alaska: loaded a truck with 10,000 Doritos Locos Tacos, airlifted it into Bethel, and threw a full-blown taco party.
This story is one of my favourite examples from my upcoming book, The Customer-Driven Marketing Handbook.
It captures exactly why emotion still drives the best marketing in the world.
And guess what, you can do the same - there is no pilgrimage to Alaska required.
Understand the Emotion Before You Respond
What I noticed many people seem to get wrong is that surprise and delight is really about matching emotion with empathy.
Less crisis management, and more of asking
how can we completely flip the emotion people may feel towards us?
Taco Bell didn’t send a press release. They met disappointment with action aimed at understanding how people felt.
I firmly believe most brands treat delight like an accident. But the best brands design for it.
Moments of joy can be mapped into your customer journey, they don’t have to be random.
YOUR HOMEWORK ✍️
Pick one recurring moment in your customer experience: onboarding, feedback requests, project handovers, or subscription renewals.
Add one unexpected, joyful touchpoint: a quick thank-you note, a short video message, or even a cheeky meme that matches your brand tone. Make it human.
Use Emotional Data, Not Just Digital Data
Emotional data tells you why people feel what they feel.
In Taco Bell’s case, all they did was listen. Social listening and feedback loops are something I talk at length in my upcoming book.
In fact, it’s one of the first systems I set up for myself and used to set up for clients as well.
YOUR HOMEWORK ✍️
Revisit your reviews, DMs, or social comments from the past month.
Highlight words that carry emotional weight: “love,” “frustrated,” “excited,” “confused.”
Those clues tell you where people are emotionally and that’s where your next best idea probably lives.
Go from AI overwhelmed to AI savvy professional
AI will eliminate 300 million jobs in the next 5 years.
Yours doesn't have to be one of them.
Here's how to future-proof your career:
Join the Superhuman AI newsletter - read by 1M+ professionals
Learn AI skills in 3 mins a day
Become the AI expert on your team
Now I have to end with an invitation for you. Once a month, do one unexpected thing for your audience with zero expectations attached.
A kind note. A helpful resource. A small surprise.
These little moments of generosity build loyalty and advocacy.
Want more stories like this one?
Pre-order my new book, The Customer-Driven Marketing Handbook, and learn how to use emotion, empathy, and behavioural science to build marketing that feels human and works.
Always cheering you on,
Fab ✌️
GRAB A COPY OF MY NEW BOOK 📖
Fifteen years of marketing experience condensed into one book. The Customer-Driven Marketing Handbook is about building relationships using marketing as your superpower. But also a book about being human in your marketing, regardless of the tools, trends or changes that this crazy world throws at us.
PRE-ORDER NOW