As educators we spent a lot of time searching for interesting videos on YouTube and other sites to make our teaching more engaging. But have you thought of using movie scenes to illustrate specific concepts of services marketing? If so, you may have felt overwhelmed to find the right video clips. We hear you. Therefore, this web page has been created to serve as a movie scene sharing platform for everyone who teaches services marketing. Below you find a number of short video clips from popular movies and TV shows. Below each video are exemplary discussion questions that you can use for classroom discussion of various services concepts. Special thanks go to Dwayne Gremler, who shared his detailed video collection table. If you like to contribute any new movie scenes, please contact Sven Tuzovic, SERVSIG Education Officer.
- Introduction to Services
- Service Demand
- Purchase Decision
- Service Encounters
- Customer Expectations
- Customer Treatment
- Service Quality
- SERVQUAL – Reliability
- SERVQUAL – Assurance
- Gap Model
- Service Performance
- Zone of Tolerance
- Service Standards
- Service Guarantees (1 & 2)
- Pricing of Services
- Servicescape
- Customer Relations
- Customization
- Service Process
- Service Scripts
- Role Conflict
- Jaycustomer Types
- Non-Ownership
- Value Co-creation and Remote Services during the Pandemic
- Service Automation and Robots
- Characteristics of service robots (1 & 2)
Introduction to Services
In this scene father (Steve Martin), mother (Diane Keaton) and daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams) meet with an eccentric wedding coordinator, Franck Eggelhoffer (Martin Short) to discuss Annie’s wedding.
- The service in this video is wedding planning. What are some charateristics of services? How are services different from products? Use the IHIP model as guide for your answers.
- Describe some of the risks you see as a customer before hiring a wedding planner? How can the company reduce these risks?
- What are some challenges of promoting a wedding service? Try to find some ads or commercials? How do you communicate something intangible?
- Explain the role of the physical evidence (e.g., design of the wedding coordinator store, the picture book of cakes) for the customer experience.
Service Demand
Steve Martin plays Neal, an uptight marketing executive, who tries to catch a taxi to the airport.
- Explain the characteristics of services. Use the IHIP model and discuss intangibility, heterogeneity/inconsistency, inseparability of production and consumption, and perishability of services.
- Discuss fluctuations in demand. How could technology have helped Steve in this situation? (e.g. Apps, smart services)
Purchase decision
Nicolas Cage plays Jack, a successful investment broker, who wakes up on Christmas Day to find that his life has changed — from his penthouse in New York to a suburban New Jersey bedroom, married to Kate (Téa Leoni) and two children. In this scene the new Jack tries on a $2400 suit in a department store. His wife Kate first approves but then changes her mind when she hears how expensive the suit is.
- Discuss different stages of the consumer decision making process. Which stages apply in this scene?
- What are personal and situational factors that affect Jack’s buying process? What is the role of the spouse in the purchase decision?
Service Encounters
This video demonstrates several service encounters.
- Explain the concept of “moment of truth”. Why are they crucial for the customer experience?
- Explain the concept of the “part-time marketer”. What is the role of frontline personnel in shaping customer perceptions of the brand?
- If you were the customer in these scenes, how would the service encounters influence your service quality perceptions and your word of mouth behavior?
Customer Expectations
In this scene Ashton Kutcher and Britney Murphy star as young newlyweds on their honeymoon in France.
- How do customer expectations influence service quality?
- How can service providers manage customer expectations?
Customer Treatment
In this scene Julia Roberts enters a high society store in Hollywood and is basically told not to shop there. Later she returns and tells them they could have had all of her future business.
- How do you evaluate the employee-customer interaction? Can you think of examples of preferential treatment of customers?
- How do you focus on the right customer segment?
Service Quality
This Satuday Night Live (SNL) video is a commercial spoof of MetroBank, a bank that specializes in giving change.
- Explain the difference between service quality and customer satisfaction.
- How would you measure service quality? Try to distinguish different categories or dimensions of service quality.
SERVQUAL – Reliability
In this scene Tom Hanks, a FedEx employee, explains the FedEx philosophy.
- Explain the concept of SERQUAL. Which dimension of service quality is illustrated in this scene?
SERVQUAL – Assurance
In this scene White Goodman, played by Ben Stiller, walks through the gym and discusses the gym’s benefits.
- How does this video illustrate the service quality dimension of assurance?
- Describe the influence of servicescape on customer expectations and/or perceptions.
Gap Model
In this scene Joe visits a store that sells fireworks, but only snakes and sparklers. Use this video to discuss the GAP model of service quality (GAP 1: “It is not what you like…It is what the customer likes.”).
- Explain the gap model of service quality. Which gap is illustrated in this scene? What are possible solutions to reduce this gap?
Service Performance
Queen Latifah plays a taxi driver in New York. She drives a car that is not the average taxi but has modifications as a race car. The scene shows a man getting in the car and offering her 100 dollars to make it to the airport in 15 minutes. Watch her as shes races through the city to the airport with little regard for traffic laws and the police. Note: This video is age-restricted and only available on YouTube.
- Discuss the service performance of the taxi driver. What are the quality standards for service delivery and how is the actual quality of service delivery?
- Discuss the expectancy-disconfirmation model. Would you be satisfied or dissatisfied with the service? Compare the customer’s expectations vs. the perceived performance (when the customer says “I’m good”).
Zone of Tolerance
In this scene Basil encounters the ferocious Mrs Richards, who is not entirely happy with her room in the hotel.
- Explain the types of customer expectations and the concept called the “Zone of Tolerance”. Describe the factors that influence customer expectations.
- Customers complain for different reasons. Why do you think did Mrs Richards complain? Do you consider her a “jaycustomer”, and if so, which type?
Service Standards
In this video Chappelle, a comedian, makes fun of a copying place using the name “Pop Copy” by showing horrible service. Disclaimer: this is an uncensored version. Note: this video may only play in the U.S.
- Discuss the SERVQUAL model. How are different service quality dimensions illustrated in this video?
- Discuss the GAP model. Which gaps are illustrated in this video?
- Explain the role of HR management to improve customer service.
Service Guarantees (1)
In this scene two friends (Chris Farley and David Spade) try to convince a customer, Ted Nelson, to stock their brake pads. But Ted points out that though the product and prices are good, there is no guarantee on the box.
- What are the benefits of a service guarantee, from a customer and firm perspective?
- How does a service guarantee reduce consumers’ perceived risk during the buying process?
Service Guarantees (2)
In this scene, a customer approaches a fastfood counter and asks for his money back for what he calls a poor breakfast. The employee (Judge Reinhold) wants to do things by the book, and requests the customer fill out a form (which he cannot find).
- Explain different types of service guarantees. What is the difference between a 100% satisfaction guarantee and a specific service guarantee?
- Describe the features of a good service guarantee. How should the employee have handled the situation?
Pricing of Services
In this scene Louie has to decide which amount he can put on a blank check. Now relate this to a service firm that has to decide how much to charge for a service.
- Why is the pricing of services more difficult as compared to the pricing of goods?
- What is the role of nonmonetary costs in a business model, and how do they relate to the consumer’s value perceptions?
- Why are ethical concerns important issues when designing service pricing and revenue management strategies? What are potential consumer responses to service pricing or policies that are perceived as unfair?
Servicescape
In this scene, Charlie and Kim, an upper-middle class couple, are looking for a day care center where they plan to enroll their 3-year-old son Ben. This scene features three poor servicescapes, including a trailer park, the basement of a gypsy home, and a house that is being raided by the police when they arrive.
- Explain the importance of the servicescape on influencing purchase decisions.
Customer Relations
In this scene Tom Cruise stars as Jerry Maguire, a sports agent, who has a moral epiphany that drives him to write a 25 page mission statement about his sports agency.
- Discuss the importance of customer centricity.
- How does this video explain the concept of relationship marketing?
Customization
In this restaurant scene Jack Nicholson attempts to order items not exactly on the menu.
- Explain the pros and cons of service standardization vs. customization. Describe how businesses can provide customized service.
- Imagine you would work in this restaurant. Would you have handled the interaction with Jack differently? Explain how to deal with complicated customers. What is the role of HR?
Service Process
In this Satuday Night Live (SNL) video two gate agents (Tina Fey and Taran Killam) call increasingly ridiculous boarding groups.
- Discuss the boarding process of airlines. What are some challenges that cause delays and/or influence customer perceptions? How can airlines make the boarding process more efficient?
Service Scripts
The scene starts when Seinfeld and George go to a famous soup store. Seinfeld who is familiar with the store explains to George the strict rules that you have to follow in order to get the soup. George disobeys the rules which results in a big scene. Use this video to discuss a variety of service concepts.
- Explain the role of the customer in the service delivery process.
- Describe the nature of service failure and the process of the (failed) service recovery.
- How do service organizations use service scripts? Explain pros and cons.
- Which dimension of the SERVQUAL model is illustrated in this scene? Explain its importance.
Role Conflict
Superhero Bob, known as Mr Incredible, hates his white-collar job as an insurance adjuster, sitting in a cubicle all day, where his supervisor prevents him from helping customers.
- Explain boundary spanning roles of service personnel.
- Describe how Bob’s performance is hindered by his job environment. Consider the aspects of role conflict and role ambiguity. How do they lead to tension and dissatisfaction?
Jaycustomer Types
This video is a compilation of several movies that illustrate different forms of customer misbehvavior.
- What are challenges of customer misbehavior for service personnel and other customers?
- Discuss how to respond to customer misbehaviors.
Psychological Ownership
Jack Nickolson plays Melvin who has an obsessive–compulsive disorder. He eats his breakfast at the same table in the same restaurant. This scene demonstrates an example of psychological ownership of access-based services in which consumers do not physically own material goods but gain access to services by registering with the provider.
- Describe the emotional bond between Jack (an individual) and his table (a place).
- How does Jack’s psychological ownership for the table influence his attitudes and behaviors, and how does this impact the experience of other customers in the restaurant?
Value Co-creation and Remote Services during the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected tourism worldwide. This video tells how the Faroe Islands created an immersive virtual experience through remote tourism. Virtual tourists interact LIVE with local Faroese who are equipped with a live video camera for a virtual exploratory tour of the destination. Read here about the project.
- Explain different options of service delivery. How did the pandemic affect distribution of services?
- How do virtual tourists co-create their travel experience?
Service Automation and Robots
“Love, Death and Robots” is an animated TV series on Netflix. Season 2, Episode 1 pokes fun at service automation, service robots, and automated customer services. This scene begins with showing a futuristic retirement community staffed by robotic helpers. Next, a house-cleaning ‘Vacuubot’ of an elderly woman named Jeanette malfunctions and becomes increasingly aggressive. She frantically tries to connect to the automated customer support, but the solutions are rather unhelpful.
- What are benefits and risks of service automation?
- Describe factors that influence human-robot interaction in different service settings such as retail, hospitality, healthcare.
- How do consumers perceive service failures caused by service robots And what is the most effective way to recover from such service failures?
Characteristics of Service Robots (1)
Frank (Frank Langella) plays a retired thief who is given a gift from his son: a robot butler programmed to look after him. In this party scene, the robot has a conversation with another robot named Mr Darcy.
- Compare the attributes of these two service robots. Consider the robot design such as appearance and functionality. Which one is more human-like?
- How does anthropomorphism of a service robot influence human-robot interaction? Compare different humanoid robots such as Pepper versus Sophia.
Characteristics of Service Robots (2)
This animated movie is about the friendship between a young High School graduate and robotics prodigy named Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) and Baymax, a large inflatable personal companion robot.
- Describe the humaness of this social robot. How do you perceive the robot’s emotionality, autonomy, and intelligence?
- Imagine a service robot scans you at the entrance of a retail store or a hospital? What are some ethical and legal implications?