adidas thinks outside of the box . . . the shoebox
The brand ‘mit drei streifen’ has created a little extra something for purchasers of select Originals footwear. Buyers will be able to show the tongue of the shoe in front of a webcam to trigger additional online content and games. The theme of the augmented reality promotion is called ‘celebrating originality’.
Here is a teaser of how the virtual neighborhood looks on the 5 shoes:
“The move is part of a scheme by Adidas Originals to use technology to help sneaker lovers form an emotional connection with the brand, said Chris Barbour, head of digital marketing for Adidas Originals. “We think we’re ahead of the curve by using AR in a way that hasn’t been used before—by tying it to a commercial product and online gaming,” Barbour said. “This is about giving consumers an additional benefit.”
An additional benefit . . . a little something extra . . . a purple goldfish. Kudos to adidas for thinking outside the box.
Today’s Lagniappe – the origin of the Originals logo, a.k.a trefoil:
For years the only symbol associated with Adidas was the trefoil (flower) logo design. The 3 leaves symbolize the Olympic spirit, linked to the three continental plates as well as the heritage and history of the brand. The “Trefoil” was adopted as the corporate logo design in 1972. In 1996, it was decided that the Trefoil corporate identity would only be used on heritage products.
FISHERMAN WANTED: Help me find 1,001 goldfish. Only 784 goldfish left to go!!!
To underdeliver or overdeliver, that is the question
Here is his Seth’s latest post whereby he points out how businesses as a rule underdeliver. He talks about the radical concept of overdelivering:
One way to think about running a successful business is to figure out what the least you can do is, and do that. That’s actually what they spent most of my time at business school teaching me.
No sense putting more on that pizza, sending more staff to that event, answering the phone in fewer rings… what’s the point? No sense being kind, looking people in the eye, being open or welcoming or grateful. Doing the least acceptable amount is the way to maximize short term profit.
Of course, there’s a different strategy, a crazy alternative that seems to work: do the most you can do instead of the least.
Radically overdeliver.
Turns out that this is a cheap and effective marketing technique.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “If you are a student of marketing and you live in the land of the folically challenged, then Seth Godin may be closest thing to your own Personal Jesus.” Seth has a remarkable skill of seeing how things are changing in the world from a marketing perspective and putting them in an easy to understand business perspective. Seth blogs daily @ sethgodin.com (do yourself a favor if you haven’t already and click here to subscribe).
I love how Seth calls overdelivering in his post a crazy alternative. In today’s climate you need to stand out or perish. You need to answer two important questions:
1. What makes you different?
2. Is that differentiator a signature element?
Creating that small unexpected extra of marketing lagniappe can go a long way to increasing retention, promoting loyalty and generating positive word of mouth. Investing your marketing budget in current customers is the lowest hanging fruit in marketing. Focusing solely on prospects in the purchase funnel and neglecting the customer experience is a recipe for disaster.
Where is the lagniappe in your marketing?
The PURPLE GOLDFISH PROJECT – Click here to see over 200+ examples of marketing lagniappe. Over 100 brands have been submitted to the list. Which ones have made the cut???
Buy a Drink . . . and Get a FREE Pizza at the Alligator Lounge
My friend Matt Sheehan recommends the Alligator Lounge in Brooklyn. A place where the pizza is always on the house as #205 in the Purple Goldfish Project.
Here is a snippet from the NY Magazine’s Karen Hudes on the Lounge:
Inside what was once the Galleria pizza place, this bar’s turquoise walls, pink flamingoes and Romanesque details don’t quite gel, yet one crucial feature remains intact: the arched, wood-burning oven. Because of the owners’ sensational idea of serving free personal pizzas every night until 3:30 a.m., this unremarkable joint has turned into a loveable hangout that’s a great first or last barhop stop. Young and old Williamsburg folk congregate along the bar, in the maroon, open-angle vinyl booths, and around the green pool table. A booming jukebox and Big Buck Hunter Pro game in back provide entertainment. A selection of 10 draft beers complements the delicious crisp-crust pies, which are on the house with every drink; toppings like pepperoni, caramelized onions and flavorful sweet sausage are available for an extra $2.
Here is a review of the place from a customer:
“I don’t want the place to get so crowded that I can’t get in. This is a fantastic place, with Widmer Hefeweizen on tap, and of course… free pizza. I didn’t know about the pizza when I wandered in mid-week. When the bartender told me about it, I pictured pizza pockets… but it’s wonderful wood oven thin crust pizza. You pay 2 bucks for your first topping and 1 buck for after that. I had mine loaded, so it set me back a whole 5 bucks. The same pizza in Manhattan would have set me back 15 bucks. Would I be back? I’m thinking of getting an apartment above the place!”
What’s Your Purple Goldfish? Download your FREE eBook here
Steve Knox of Tremor took me to school the other day. He recently wrote an enlightened post in Ad Age entitled, “Why Effective Word of Mouth Disrupts Schemas”. The premise of the article is how to leverage cognitive disruption to drive ‘word of mouth’.
First off let me admit I had no clue what a ’schema’ was. It sounds like something Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Ali G’ would say to describe a con artist in his West London Village of Staines.
So here is the real definition. It turns out that our lizard brain remains typically in a static state. It relies on cognitive schemas to figure out how the world works. Your brain recognizes patterns and adapts your behavior accordingly. It basically doesn’t want to have to think. For example, every day you get into the car and you know instinctively to drive on the right side of the road. Fast forward and you’re on a trip to the UK or Australia. The first time you drive on the left side it throws you for a loop. Its disruptive to your normal driving schema and it forces the brain to think, thereby it elicits discussion (ie. word of mouth).
Steve provided some great examples in his article. My one favorite was for a new Secret deodorant that P&G was launching. The deodorant utilized a moisture activated ingredient which kicked in when you sweat. The brand understood that this could be positioned against a traditional schema, ie. the more you workout, the more you sweat and the worse you smell. The tagline for the brand became, “The More You Move, the Better You Smell”. A staggering 51,000 consumers posted comments on P&G’s website about the product.
Here is a Slideshare presentation that talks about schemas and the science behind word of mouth by Steve Knox:
I started thinking how this idea of disruption applies to the concept of marketing lagniappe. The second ingredient in the lagniappe R.U.L.E.S is the concept of being Unexpected. It’s that little something that’s an unexpected extra at the time of purchase. It’s the unexpected ’surprise and delight’ that triggers disruption of our schemas.
Let’s face it . . . most companies fail to deliver an exceptional customer experience. It’s only when a brand goes ‘above and beyond’ we get shocked. And what happens when we receive that unexpected ‘branded act of kindness‘? We tell our friends, we tweet it and we post on Facebook about it.
Do you agree? Any examples of companies that have provided such a strong brand experience that it prompted word of mouth?
In Search of Your PURPLE GOLDFISH. Click here to download the FREE eBook.
The Purple Goldfish Jingle Off is over. We’ve got ourselves a winner. At the stroke of midnight on February 3rd, Love Harnell of LoveJingles took home the crown. He defeated challenger Brian King of YourDailyJingle in convincing fashion.
A fun conversation about marketing lagniappe and the Purple Goldfish Project
I had the opportunity to catch up with Albert Maruggi on Wednesday. We discussed the Purple Goldfish as an episode on the Marketing Edge Podcast. I’m a religous listener of the podcast. If you haven’t subcribed on iTunes or your RSS feed yet, b-line here to sign up. The podcast is celebrating its 5th anniversary in February which makes it one of the longest running on the topics of marketing and PR. Albert is constantly exploring the ‘edge’ and I always walk away with something useful after tuning in.
Click on the image below to check out Albert’s post and listen to the podcast:
Today’s Lagniappe: Voting is still open for the JINGLE Off. Who will be crowned The World’s Best Daily Jingler? Will it be the KING or will LOVE conquer all? Click here and YOU decide.
The King vs. Love: Will the King Reign Supreme or Shall Love Conquer All?
Today is a big day in the short history of The Purple Goldfish Project. We’ve reached #200 in the quest to get to 1,001 examples of marketing lagniappe and we’re getting a jingle two jingles. That’s right . . . two jingles. Back in December I purchased a jingle from LoveJingles. Love and his team are using a pricing model made popular by the ‘I Wear Your Shirt’ guys. About 10 days ago I received a tweet from Your Daily Jingle. YourDailyJingle also started jingling on January 1st. Brian wrote a jingle to challenge Love to a JINGLE Off on January 27th. I graciously accepted and here we are.
Let’s look at the submissions from our Jinglers:
Brian King – Your Daily Jingle
Love Harnell – Love the Jingles
Let the Voting Begin (you can only vote once and voting ends on Wednesday, February 3 at Midnight EST) :
Bonus Lagniappe: A Family JINGLE off. My brother and brother in law have submitted their own jingles. Want to see how they stacked up against the PRO’s. Click here
I have to admit that I’m blessed to have a family that swims in the deep end of the talent pool. Both my brother John and Brother in Law Micky were inspired by the Jingle Off. Soo much so that they both decided to submit there own American Idolesque audition tape.
I’m not sure if this qualifies to officially cut into their ‘15 Minutes of Fame’, but let’s have a look at the entries:
Brother John
Brother in Law Micky
I thought about throwing John and Micky’s entries into the JINGLE OFF with the pro’s from LOVEJINGLES and YOURDAILYJINGLE, but sanity prevailed.
What I’d like to do is have a friendly family competition for bragging rights around the Thanksgiving table. So – lets let the judging begin (one vote only please). Think of this as the undercard to the Main Event. Stay tuned for the real JINGLE OFF tomorrow on 1/27 whereby The King Takes On Love.
Voting ends Friday, January 31st at the stroke of midnight . . .
How do you overtake a luxury brand with the heritage of Mercedes-Benz?
While preparing to launch an unknown brand with no heritage against established European brands such as BMW and Mercedes, Japanese automaker Lexus set out to build the perfect car and retail experience. Nothing less than a ‘relentess pursuit of perfection’ was the mandate when the brand was launched in 1989. 21 years later the brand is all grown up. It’s kicking ass and taking nameplates.
1. When you drop your car off for service at Ray Catena Lexus of Monmouth, in Oakhurst, N.J., bring your golf clubs: You can practice your game at an indoor driving range and golf course simulator adjacent to the plush waiting lounge. FORE!!!
2. Dedicated to make sure your experience was perfect. Ray Catena has one person whose sole job is to call people who have had warranty service to make sure everything went smoothly. According to an article at forbes.com,
“Customer surveys revealed that 99.2% of people who serviced their cars at the store would recommend it. That meant there were about a dozen less-than-perfect surveys out of 1,400. Those customers got personal letters and phone calls offering apologies.”
3. Free Car Wash – A staple of the Lexus service is the free car wash with your service. I was talking with a co-worker yesterday who just happened to bring her car into Ray Catena for service. We started discussing their service and she started gushing about how they are so committed and that everything is always done just right. She mentioned the car wash. I talked about how the ‘free car wash’ is become expected, kind of like the bakers dozen. It’s loses a little bit of its specialness if everyone is doing it (Audi, BMW and VW have also been cited in the Project for the car wash). My colleague then mentioned that on a recent trip that the wait for her car to be washed was long. Lexus apologized and handed her a voucher for a car wash down the street. Today I asked her how the service went. Shelley mentioned that Lexus couldn’t wash her car yesterday in lieu of the constant rain. Instead they filled her gas tank on the house. THAT’S a NICE UNEXPECTED TOUCH or purple goldfish.
FISHERMAN WANTED: HELP me catch another 801 purple goldfish for a great cause. Click hereto send me your example.
Here is his 
First off let me admit I had no clue what a ’schema’ was. It sounds like something Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Ali G’ would say to describe a con artist in his West London Village of Staines.
Today is a big day in the short history of 
