#383 in the Project from Nicolas Nelson:
“The Great Harvest Bakery is a relatively small franchise chain of wonderful American-style bakeries that is growing slowly on purpose–they want to make extra sure that every new Great Harvest Bakery is top notch and fully reflects the ethos of the original one.
Lagniappe is what Great Harvest Bakery is all about– it comes across in a dozen ways. But the first one any visitor will notice immediately is the free bread tasting every time you come in the door. Yep, everyone who even stops by gets a free slice of their choice of the day’s fresh-baked bread. A generous free slice.
Whether or not you buy something. Whether or not you even stay in the bakery after you take their bread. Whether or not you say thank you. Free bread, every visit! Of course, there’s a catch: the bread is unbelievably good. That free slice of bread will convince you to buy a whole loaf. We do, almost every week. The panini sandwiches are pretty amazing too, by the way (but not free).”
Marketing Lagniappe Takeaway: As a general rule, “People don’t know what they like . . . they like what they know”. You need to figure ways to get people to try new products. Make it easy and risk free. Great Harvest gets to pick the bread of the day and let customers experience something new. Smart move. Sampling is the lowest hanging fruit in marketing.
Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra) – Here is a classic scene from Seinfeld involving the infamous loaf of ‘Marble Rye’:
It reminded of a very funny story:
Old man is talking with his best friend and explaining how he is having some problems with keeping his manhood at full attention. His friend says he’s got just the cure. He leans over and whispers a secret, “Go down to the Village Bakery and order yourself a loaf of marble rye”. The old man quickly enthusiastically thanks his friend and B lines it to the bakery. Next thing you know he’s walking down the street with 3 loaves under his arm. Before he makes it home he comes across an old girlfriend. After hello’s she points at the bag and ask what he’s carrying. He informs her about his purchase and she exclaims, “Three loaves . . . by the time you get halfway through the first loaf it will be as hard as a rock!”. The old man then says, “Geez . . . everyone knows about the marble rye”.
Lagniappe defined: A marketing lagniappe, i.e. purple goldfish, is any time a business goes above and beyond to provide a ‘little something extra’. It’s that unexpected surprise that’s thrown in for good measure.
How do you stand out in the sea of sameness? How do you win repeat customers and influence word of mouth? Are you Giving Little UnexpectedExtras?
What’s Your GLUE?
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