Angie's List Wins Customer Loyalty One Bag of M&M;'s at a Time

The folks doing the marketing at Angie's List, a user-generated list providing recommendations for a variety of service providers  (see my earlier blog entry about this business and others like it), impress me. Recently, I received a bulging priority mail envelope with a one-pound bag of M&M's as a thank you for telling a friend about their service with a short note saying, "As a reward for spreading the good word about Angie's List, we've sent you a bag of M&M's. Keep telling your friends and family where they can find thousands of quality contractors in hundreds of different service categories, and we'll keep the M&M's coming!" In an age when few people even bother to send thank you cards, this small unexpected gift made my day and is one of the smartest buzz building moves that I've seen recently.