Remember the old economic/marketing theories that spend a lot of time distinguishing products from services? Well it seems current thinking accepts that when you boil it down to the basic motivation of buyers, its all just a service. When you buy a lawnmower, you really buy a way to cut lawns.  When you buy a restaurant meal you really buy a dining experience. Simon Young wrote about this last November as service-dominant logic. Download full article here (pdf). I'm not sure this is an entirely new idea but hoorah for simplicity.  One useful take-out from it is that it may help emphasise the importance of the full (service) experience any business offers - from initial awareness, through purchase consideration, through use and ongoing contact - all against the backdrop of messages in brand promotions. You are what you give - its all just service.