I would never, ever, ever consider – or even read about – VOD. Not from anyone. I trust Amazon as a respected retailer, but I’m of the old school mentality of lay on your couch to get your movie fix Gen X’ers.
I’m a comic book superhero movie buff, so of course I pre-ordered The Dark Knight. It was my first ever pre-order, and I wondered if I would really be getting anything for this purchase, besides ending the dismay of walking into another retailer to see my precious selection either sold out, or overpriced. I was happy with this purchase, as, not only did it arrive 3 days ahead of schedule (and ahead of its release date to the public) but it also came at a discounted rate (once billed, I was told I had a refund that was applied to my card). Joy to Amazon.
Just when I thought it couldnt get any better, I just received this in my inbox:
Huh. I never would have tried this feature, but, since I can watch it for free, why not? Further, they included with this some outreach to people like me who may be unaware of this service:
What great customer service combined with adequate service information: I may not have asked for this service, but now I’m intrigued and will check it out. By understanding I am an involved consumer and evangelist for this title, Amazon saw the opportunity to take me a little further in a helpful, unobtrusive way.
jesskrywosa.com 
Imagine if we could give students that kind of service! I’m a big fan of Tom Peters books (or some of them), and this sounds like something straight out of The Pursuit of Wow!
Picture a world where a prospective student receives offers to join clubs, an open line of communication with a current student/mentor, maybe even a discount off his/her books or meal plans for accepting by a certain date. How high do you think that conversation rate would be? How much of a brand evangelist would that person be before even attending orientation?
If I ruled the world, or at least a campus, it would be all about creating the kind of excitement or loyalty in those people that you feel when Amazon exceeds your expectations.
Exactly!