The 19th Top 10 List from #901-950 in the Project
The finish line for reaching 1,001 examples of marketing lagniappe is now firmly in sight. The final fifty will be the bell lap.
Here’s the top entries from the last crop of 50 examples:
10. #941. Submitted by Lauren Sujkowski this story via Twitter:
Image Brew
Like that @ImageBrew stays on brand and gives clients their own beer. Better than a business card. [See full Image Brew post with video]
9. #910 Reynolds Farms
Started in 1959, Reynolds Farms Nursery and Country Garden Center is based in Norwalk, CT. At Reynolds you’ll find ideas for every lawn and garden challenge plus décor.
I headed to Reynolds after a major #FAIL at Home Depot (it’s fall in Connecticut . . . who doesn’t carry lime for lawns). Separated by less than a mere kilometer, Reynolds is miles apart from the Depot in the realm of customer experience. Before walking into the nursery, me and my two boys (4 and 5) encountered a goldfish pond. One of the associates came out and asked Thomas and James if they’d like to feed the fish. While the boys were feeding the fish the staff helped me locate the appropriate sized bag of lime. Upon checking out I noticed a ‘spin to win’ wheel. The staff said that every order is entitled to a spin. They were gracious to allow both of the boys to have a spin. 0 for 2 unfortunately, but the staff offered the boys each a lollipop. Strong move.
8. #936 comes from the Lancaster Hotel
Hear a buzzing noise? That would be from the 10 beehives on the roof of London’s Lancaster Hotel, which create the honey given as a free VIP guest amenity.
7. #916. From Plymouth Rock Assurance:
Get Home Safe
Plymouth Rock Assurance wants to help prevent accidents, not just respond after they happen. That’s why we offer Get Home Safe as a free benefit to our personal auto insurance customers. This unique service provides a free cab ride if you feel you can’t operate your car safely.
Whether you’re too tired to drive, had a little too much wine at dinner, or just don’t feel safe driving for any reason, you don’t have to get behind the wheel. Your cab fare is on us!
Get Home Safe. More than just insurance. Plymouth Rock Assurance.
6. #903. Primo (a restaurant at the JW Marriott in Orlando)
The bar at PRIMO has a fantastic appetizer called ‘Rosemary Almonds’. My colleague Keith and I remarked that we really enjoyed the complimentary almonds. Our bartender mentioned that they were the original recipe of the founder of the restaurant.
Literally the very next thing we know the bartender is handing Keith a complimentary bag of ‘Rosemary Almonds’ with the recipe attached.
5. #940 allows you to ‘Get in Touch with Your Wilde Side’
Guests in Room 118 of London’s Cadogan Hotel, the site of Oscar Wilde’s arrest for gross indecency, will find a complimentary replica of the writer’s smoking jacket available to wear — epigrams not included.
4. #920 Chips & Salsas from El Tiempo Cantina
There are plenty of awesome chips and salsas around town, but there is just something about El Tiempo’s take on the classic that really gets me. It could definitely be the three frozen margaritas (which I’ve confirmed are stronger than their non-frozen counterparts) that I never fail to down while waiting for a table at the always-packed Montrose location, but that’s beside the point.
Crisp, hot and slightly salty, El Tiempo’s freshly baked chips are accompanied by not one, but two salsas. The red roasted-tomato salsa is sweet with just a hint of heat, the perfect way to ease into the meal. The green dip is creamy without being too thick, a cool and mild touch to the warm, salty chip. Both salsas are good in their own right, but combine the two and I’ve reached salsa nirvana.
3. #906. Taken from a 2005 post by Joe Kissell:
On our last trip to Paris, Morgen and I met some friends for dinner at a restaurant that had gotten some very good reviews. The owner of the restaurant arrived at our table to take our orders, and we told him the prix fixe set menu sounded good. He looked strangely concerned, as though we foreigners couldn’t possibly know what we were getting ourselves into. “You understand,” he asked, “that this meal includes an aperitif, an entree, a main course, a dessert, and coffee…and an unlimited quantity of wine?” We nodded and assured him that we knew the routine. He smiled slyly and said, “Ah bon. There will also be…some surprises.”
A few moments later, a small dish of sausages arrived at our table—an amuse bouche, or a sort of pre-appetizer—along with some fresh bread. Then the advertised courses appeared, one by one, until finally, after coffee, the owner returned with a bottle and four small glasses in his hands and a conspiratorial expression on his face. “A little something to conclude your meal,” he offered, and poured us each a glass of marc, a potent digestif distilled from the bits of grape skin left over when wine is made. Splendid. We would have enjoyed the meal thoroughly even without the unadvertised extras, but the unexpected attention to detail left us with an even warmer feeling about the restaurant.
2. #929 capitalizes on a growing complimentary trend.
The “Sleep Concierge” at New York’s Benjamin Hotel will equip you with one of 12 different types of pillow ranging from buckwheat to magnetic to anti-snore, plus white noise machine.
1. #949. Submitted via comment by Jordan Belcher (@kjbelcher)
Audi of Orlando
I have a bit of a natural distrust for dealerships, so to say I was apprehensive about taking my car to Audi of Orlando for some repairs would be an understatement. But that was before I knew that these guys know how to convert a non-believer.
I called in advance to ensure they would be able to see my car (my local mechanic was slammed, hence why I arrived at the dealership in the first place). The woman on the other end of the phone told me that they too were a bit busy, but that they would be able to look at the car today. With that, she asked me when I would be arriving and I told her that I would be there in about 30 minutes.
When I arrived, a “service consultant” was waiting for me. Let me play that back – he wasn’t just waiting for the next person to drive up, he was waiting for ME. He addressed me by name and had my car’s file on hand. He asked me to pop the trunk and – within seconds – gave me a brief description of what the issue was, how long it would take to fix and what the approximate cost would be. Next he told me that they could take the car immediately (under-promise, over-deliver much?) and that I wouldn’t need to wait – a “courtesy rental” had already been reserved for me. All I needed to do was go sign some documents and I could drive out immediately and get back to work. Whoa.
Needless to say, at this point, I was pretty amazed. When I walked inside, the rental associate told me that I would be receiving a 2011 model of my same car at no cost for as long as the repairs took. Pretty awesome.
To wrap things up, the dealership called later that day to tell me my car was ready, but unfortunately I couldn’t pick up the car until the next day. They told me “keep the courtesy car as long as you need, your car will be ready when you are” – did I mention the rental was FREE? For as long as I want?!
I came to pick up my car the next morning and could tell right away that it had been cleaned. Nice touch. The service consultant gave me the bill for the repairs, but also indicated that some add’l work had been done that I didn’t request – a routine $45K mile service. He noted that “the service was done at no charge since you are a customer of ours”. WOW.
I’ll definitely be back.
@kjbelcher
Click here for the first Top 10 list from #1 to 50 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
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.
Click here for the tenth Top 10 list from #451 to #500 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the eleventh Top 10 list from #501 to #550 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the twelfth Top 10 list from #551 to #600 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the thirteenth Top 10 list from #601 to #650 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the fourteenth Top 10 list from #651 to #700 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the fifteenth Top 10 list from #701 to #750 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the Final Four list from #751 to #800 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the seventeenth Top 10 list from #801 to #850 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the eighteenth Top 10 list from #851 to #900 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
