The 10th Top 10 List from #451-#500
The Purple Goldfish Movement continues to race forward. We’ve just recently eclipsed the halfway mark on the search for 1,001 examples of marketing lagniappe.
This group of fifty is strong like new rope, here are the ones that made the grade:
10. Hotel Mela (#470 submitted by Lisa Church)
“As a CXO (Chief Experience Officer), keeping an eye out for “purple goldfish” is an obsession and a passion! One of my favorites is the Hotel Mela in NYC. They offer a “Desires” Club for guests that allows you to select your favorite snacks and soft drinks, which you find awaiting you in your stylish room when you arrive. Each day of your stay, your favorites are left in your room along with a personalized note. The Hotel periodically asks you to update your “favorites” (via email) to ensure they are still meeting your Desires. Now that’s unexpected service!”
9. Zappos (#493 taken from Peter Osbourne’s blog ‘Bulldog Simplicity’)
“My son lost one of his dress shoes at school the other day. Don’t ask. I don’t know how you lose one shoe.
So last night (Tuesday) he and his mother went to the store where he bought them. Nothing in his size. They get home and for a variety of reasons they don’t get online until about 10 p.m. They find the shoes and my wife calls Zappos to confirm that we’ll get the shoes by Thursday with one-day shipping. I’m not clear on the rest of the conversation, but Zappos waives the overnight delivery charges. No reason given, but it sounded like it was because we were first-time buyers. It’s like Tony Hsieh was sitting outside the house when we ordered Tyler’s shoes. As a first-time buyer, Zappos didn’t just exceed our expectations. They obliterated them. And that leaves me with two questions for you, regardless of whether you’re a retailer, a consultant, or a person within a large company…
- When was the last time you obliterated a customer or client’s expectations?
- How can you “Zappos” someone’s expectations the next time you deal with them?”
8. Bar Breton (#477 submitted by Keith Green @keithstweets of Synergy Events)
“First, congrats on the winning the trip, well deserved! Looking forward to hearing stories and who you meet at the conference. I had a nice lunch in NYC earlier this week and thought of your project. At the end of my lunch at Bar Breton on 5th Avenue, I received two chocolate cookies. Granted, they were tiny-probably between the size of a quarter and a half dollar-but just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth when clearly, dessert wasn’t needed off the menu. The cookies were served in a tiny bowl, not much larger than the cookies, making for a cool presentation.”
7. Zane’s Cycles of Branford, CT (#460 taken from a keynote by Jeanne Bliss)
‘Free tune ups and lifetime warranty’
6. PGA Tour (#483 submitted by Barbara Karasek)
“In tough economic times, free is the most fantastic four letter f-word ever. To meet the rise in demand for affordable sporting events, we created new ticket policies to allow free, trackable tickets to be made available for military, military dependents and kids 17 and under at many PGA TOUR events. Like you, acronyms are fun to create and sometimes easier to remember. Our ACE in the hole is a product that is Affordable, Community-focused, and Entertaining.”
5. Best Buy (#474 suggested by Jim Joseph, Author of “The Experience Effect”
“Best Buy created the Twelpforce. They assigned a customer service representative from the sales team for each consumer. A nice added value if you have any questions after your purchase.”
4. New Horizons Computers (#499 taken from Jeff Hayzlett’s book, The Mirror Test)
“I needed a way to add a little more value to the experience and make a lasting impression on customers. I settled on presenting every person who “graduated” from our training programs with a fun diploma and picture of their group in front of our company sign as a keepsake. Later I added a few other items like free chili dogs on Fridays.”
3. Shelter Harbor Inn (#481 submitted by Tim Heath)
“My teenage daughter and I were rolling south along Route 1 in costal Rhode Island on a recent Sunday morning and we stopped at the Shelter Harbor Inn in Westerly for a sumptuous country breakfast. It all worked and soon after we placed our orders we were both pleasantly surprised with complimentary warm raspberry scones. Hats off to the Shelter Harbor Inn for the added value to an enjoyable moment.”
2. Baskin-Robbins (#484 taken from Bob Gilbreath and his book, The Next Evolution of Marketing)
“Baskin-Robbins turns hump day (Wednesday) to bump day by offering pregnant women a free cup or cone”
. . . and the #1 on the tenth Top 10 List:
TD Bank is rife with lagniappe. Jim Donofrio pointed out this school of purple goldfish.
#454 to 458
- Open 7 days in an effort to be America’s Most Customer Friendly bank
- Green pens with the TD Bank logo. They can be found everywhere . . . from a local restaurant to large scale charity event
- Penny Arcade. The first thing you see when you walk through the door.
- No barriers between you and the tellers within the bank. This promotes a friendly atmosphere.
- Green lollipops for the kids and dog biscuits for Rover . . . everyone leaves with a smile on their face and a wagging tail.
Click here for the first Top 10 list from the first 50 examples of marketing lagniappe.
Click here for the second Top 10 list from #51 to #100 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the third Top 10 list from #101 to #150 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the fourth Top 10 list from #151 to #200 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the fifth Top 10 list from #201 to #250 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the sixth Top 10 list from #251 to #300 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the seventh Top 10 list from #301 to #350 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the eighth Top 10 list from #351 to #400 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the ninth Top 10 list from #401 to #450 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
