Brand Came Through for This Muggle

Last Friday's release of the final installment of the Harry Potter series rivaled the release of Apple's iphone in terms of hoopla and throngs of devoted fans waiting in line for hours to be one of the first to have it. JK Rowling and Scholastic scored big with 8.3 million copies sold in the first weekend in the U.S. alone.

Amazon made promises to the two million customers who pre-ordered the book to have it to them by 7 p.m. Saturday. The whole thing really was a gamble considering that Amazon was relying upon third parties to execute on the promise. An extraordinary event like the release of "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows" can put a huge strain on a company's infrastructure. Quite thankfully Amazon came through with everything they promised me. My copy of the book was in my grubby little mitts by 10 a.m. Saturday morning (and I finished all 759 pages in 24 hours).

Others weren't so lucky. Read about Kottke's disillusionment. He's not alone. Click here and here to read other's frustration vented.

Regardless of who you want to blame - Amazon or UPS - the Amazon brand took a hit. In my case, I'm singing Amazon's praises (but then I received my book via U.S. Postal Service), but for those who are still waiting, there's no doubt their connection to the brand has been eroded.