How Bose Used Surprise and Delight to Create Loyal Fans
How Unreasonable Hospitality Helped Bose Turned Customers into Lifelong Fans
Imagine scrolling through social media, casually sharing a moment about your day, and suddenly, out of nowhere, your favorite brand reaches out - not to sell you something, but to make your day better. No strings attached. No marketing gimmicks. Just pure, unexpected generosity.
That’s exactly what we did at Bose with our Surprise and Delight initiative. It was never publicly promoted, and no one outside the company knew it existed. But for those lucky enough to experience it, the impact was unforgettable.
What Was the Bose Surprise and Delight Initiative?
Bose believed in more than just making great audio products - we believed in making people feel heard, valued, and appreciated. Our Surprise and Delight initiative was designed to do just that.
How It Worked
A few times per month, our team conducted social listening - a proactive approach to monitoring conversations about Bose, headphones, music, and audio experiences across social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
We weren’t just looking for people who mentioned Bose directly. We were searching for:
Existing Bose customers sharing their experiences.
Potential customers talking about their love for music or their need for a great audio solution.
People who simply needed a win - someone struggling through a tough time, a student trying to focus amidst chaos, or a music lover dreaming about better sound quality.
Once we found the right person, we reached out - moving from a public comment to a DM - with a simple, heartfelt message: “We see you, and we want to help.”
Real-World Moments of Surprise and Delight
This initiative led to countless emotional, joyful, and even life-changing moments. Here are just a few examples:
1. Helping a Student Focus
A university student posted about struggling to concentrate on their studies due to noisy roommates. We reached out, and a few days later, they received a brand-new pair of Bose noise-cancelling headphones—helping them create their own quiet space, no matter where they were.
2. Supporting a Music-Lover with ADHD
A customer with ADHD shared on Twitter how music helps them focus but complained that their old headphones weren’t cutting it anymore. A direct message, a meaningful conversation, and a few days later, they had a pair of Bose QuietComfort headphones delivered to their door.
3. Bringing Joy to Someone Going Through a Tough Time
A woman posted about her partner having a difficult year and how music was his escape. We surprised them with a Bose Bluetooth speaker, giving them a way to enjoy music together and create moments of joy despite the hardships.
4. Going Beyond Free Products: Personalized Surprises
Surprise and Delight wasn’t just about giving away products—it was about personalized, meaningful gestures. Some of the most unforgettable moments included:
Personalised video greetings from Bose brand ambassadors, including musicians like Dermot Kennedy and F1 champions like Valtteri Bottas.
Exclusive in-store surprises, such as Lewis Hamilton hiding behind a screen in a Bose store, then unexpectedly revealing himself to stunned fans.
Limited edition Bose products, given as a way to thank long-time customers for their loyalty.
Custom Spotify playlists, curated by Bose to match a customer’s musical taste and enhance their listening experience.
These surprises didn’t just make someone’s day - they created lifelong memories.
The Ripple Effect: From Customers to Brand Advocates
The beauty of Surprise and Delight is that it doesn’t just create happy customers - it creates brand ambassadors. Here’s why:
People love sharing good experiences. Every time we surprised someone, they would take to social media to share the story - tagging Bose, posting unboxing videos, and telling their friends and family.
It builds emotional loyalty. A free gift may seem small, but the emotional impact lasts far beyond the moment. These customers didn’t just love our products - they loved the brand and what it stood for.
It turned customers into lifelong fans. Many recipients later purchased additional Bose products, recommended us to others, and continued engaging with the brand.
Unreasonable Hospitality Before It Had a Name
At the time, Unreasonable Hospitality wasn’t a widely recognized concept, but looking back, that’s exactly what this was.
As one of only a handful of Unreasonable Hospitality Certified Coaches in the world, I now help businesses apply this same philosophy - going beyond expectations to create unforgettable customer experiences. Whether it’s through customer service, marketing, or unexpected small gestures, how you make people feel is what they remember most.
The Lesson: Why Your Business Needs Surprise and Delight
If you want to keep customers engaged, build loyalty, and increase word-of-mouth referrals, you need to go beyond great products and services.
Think about ways you can:
Listen to your customers (both directly and indirectly).
Recognize opportunities to create special moments.
Empower your team to take small but meaningful actions.
Turn one-time buyers into lifelong fans.
Surprise and Delight isn’t about the size of the gesture - it’s about the thought behind it. And the businesses that understand this are the ones that thrive.
Take the Next Step: Learn How to Apply Unreasonable Hospitality to Your Business
Want to create extraordinary customer experiences that keep people coming back?
Download my free guide: 6 Steps to Stellar Customer Moments and start applying Unreasonable Hospitality principles to your business today.
And if you’re serious about creating moments that matter, let’s talk. As one of the few Unreasonable Hospitality Certified Coaches in the world, I can help you build a customer experience strategy that turns customers into lifelong advocates.
