If this project were the Boston Marathon, we’d be venturing towards Wellesley College in the Purple Goldfish Project on our way to 1,001. The women of Wellesley are famous for what is called the Wellesley ‘Scream Tunnel’ just before the halfway mark of the marathon. The Purple Goldfish Movement continues to race forward. Next stop: Heartbreak Hill.
It was hard to choose the 10 in this illustrious group, but here are the ones that were left standing:
10. Marriott (#410. Taken from a blogpost by Eric Stoessel) “Marriott has partnered with COVERPLAY for a new Tots Travel Too program, which aims to make it easier for families traveling with young children. The news release says the program will provide guests, upon request, with a travel crib and laundered COVERPLAY removable slipcover, as well as a free bath gift (animal squirt toy) and parents can also contact the front desk for complimentary items they may have forgotten, like outlet covers, baby shampoo, oil, etc. The program is for five of Marriott’s brands: Courtyard, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites.”
9. Peter Millar (#446. From Joe Bob Hester of the University of North Carolina, taken from an article by the News Observer) “They remember the mints. When boxes of golf shirts and shorts and other high-end menswear are shipped from the Peter Millar office and warehouse, the packing list includes mints. When customers unpack their orders, they are struck by three things: The quality of what they’ve ordered; each item comes out of the box in the order it’s listed on the packing sheet; and, mints are included for the pleasure of it. It’s a little thing, but this year when a few boxes arrived short of mints (they ran out briefly), phone calls started coming.”
8. Nurse Next Door (#438 from the book ‘Customer Love’) “Humble Pie. When this Canadian home health care service provider stumbles . . . they deliver a fresh baked apple pie and a note apologizing for poor customer service. Each year they spend about $1,500 on pies, but they estimate it saves about $100,000 in business going elsewhere. That sounds like pretty strong ROI as 65% of customers that take their business elsewhere do so because of poor customer service.”
7. See’s Candy (#417 from Sydney Reiner) “See’s candy always gives you a free piece of chocolate when you come into the store.”
6. Salute (#401 from Peter Hurley) “Had lunch today at Salute in New York City (270 Madison Ave). Nice upscale restaurant that caters to a business crowd. Upon sitting at the table I noticed a purple goldfish. Each table came with a tiny notepad similar to those you would get at a conference or hotel. It was for notes if needed during lunch. The small pad was branded with Salute’s marks and contact info. A nice little keepsake compliments of the restaurant.”
5. Vinny’s Deli and Pasta (#424 submitted by David Diamond) ”I love your project — it is a very clever idea, and I am a true believer that the cost of these little extras more than pays itself out in customer loyalty and good will. My best example is the local deli in my town — Vinny’s Deli and Pasta — where it is basically impossible to not get a free drink — coffee, soda, whatever, while you are waiting for your order to be prepared. The magic is that there is no policy, no signage, it just always happens.”
4. Jet Blue (#414 from Sharon Trainor-Smith) “When flights are delayed they often show up at the gate with tables full of free water and snacks, and then set up a trivia game for everyone with good prizes such as free flight tickets, gift certificates, etc. The stranded passengers LOVED these bonuses and there was a lot of positive buzz. Plus by giving out flight tix, we were incented to come back to Jet Blue. It turned a bad situation into a really positive group and brand bonding opportunity.”
3. The Mermaid Inn (#429 from Jordan Stark) “The Mermaid Inn (3 locations in nyc) gives each person a free small cup of chocolate pudding with whipped cream and a fortune teller fish at the end of the meal. Very cool.”
2. Bruster’s Ice Cream (#419 from Don Lowry) “Free baby cones (with candy eyes and sprinkle hair) and free doggie sundaes (scoop of ice cream with a small milkbone). Plus, call and request your favorite ice cream and they’ll make it, and email you when it’s made.”
. . . and the #1 on the ninth Top 10 List:
1. Johnny the Bagger (#426 submitted by Dan Gersten) “Seriously, if you haven’t already seen this, you’ve been missing out!
(Click image above to play video) I had found it and posted in in the shopper marketing group on linkedin and it evoked a notable emotional response from people”
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 #301 to #350 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Click here for the entire list from The Purple Goldfish Project.
