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The 5th Top 10 List from #201-#250
We’ve hit the 250 mark in the Purple Goldfish Project. With a goal of 1,001 examples we’ve just whizzed by the 10k mark of the marathon (a marathon is 42K if you are curious).
Lots of strong examples in this crop of 50. It was hard to choose the 10, but here are the ones that made the cut:
10. Cartridge World (#249. Submitted by EJ Kritz) ”We offer a free delivery service to our business customers during which time plenty of things can happen opening the door for added value. Many of our franchises keep a “toner vac” in their delivery vehicle. This vacuum is specially designed to handle the fine particles in toner. It’s a HUGE benefit to our customers (as silly and small as it sounds) to bring in the toner vac for a complimentary cleaning of their laser printer before we put in their new cartridge. This service is the printer equivalent of getting a free car wash each time you get a tank of gas… it doesn’t help your car run better but it sure does make you feel good. The second example is something almost universal regardless of which Cartridge World franchise you visit. It’s quite simple actually. Each and every business delivery comes complete with a Tootsie Pop. You see, purchasing our product is all about saving money. However, typically the person saving the money (the business owner) is not the same person taking the delivery (the office manager). This little token makes everyone smile in the middle of a busy day! In fact, many of our owners could even tell you the favorite flavor of pop for each of their top customers. Simple, and yes, sweet.”
9. Chegg (#235 from the folks over at Gaspedal) “College students love Chegg for their cheap textbook rentals, free shipping, and eco-friendly business philosophy. Chegg believes that renting a book instead of buying it new helps save trees. This isn’t just their corporate mission statement, the company actually functions around this core value. For every book they rent, they plant a tree in return. As the customer finishes their transaction, Chegg presents a world map and asks the customer to pick a country or region to plant their tree in. It’s a simple, visual way of engaging during the transaction process and giving back to the community at the same time. Customers can then tell the world what they did by linking their Chegg transaction to their Facebook profile or Twitter account.”
#8. Maroni Cuisine (#223 From Clark Johnson) “Maroni Cuisine in Northport NY is consistently rated by Zagat voters as either the best or among the best restaurants on Long Island. Mike Maroni beat Bobby Flay in a throwdown! The meals are exclusively customized tasting menus, prix fixe, with all the wine you can drink included. At the end of the meal, hours later, guests are generally presented with jars of Maroni Pasta sauce as a Thank You. Once you have used it, you want to go back for more (both the meal and the sauce!).”
7. adidas (#204 submitted by Eileen Scully) ”Taking their cue from cereal makers like Kellogg and General Mills and Cracker Jack, which pioneered the idea in 1911, sneaker makers are including a little something extra in their shoe boxes. adidas, Nike, Reebok and New Balance have all recently started including in-box codes and other methods that let consumers get an experience that goes beyond wearing their new shoes. adidas is the latest to jump on the trend. On Feb. 10, adidas Originals sneakers will include a code that lets consumers partake in an augmented reality program. The adidas initiative, via agency Sid Lee and Metaio, which developed the AR component, centers on a virtual neighborhood that the footwear maker created as part of its brand identity and ongoing campaign themed “celebrating originality.” Five sneaker models (Superstar, Stan Smith, Samba, Nizza and Forum) with an AR code printed on the tongue will hit exclusive retailers Champs Sports and Eastbay.com starting next month. By holding the code in front of a Webcam, consumers will be able to access the virtual neighborhood and interactive games (created by Xform) at adidas.com/originals.”
6. Bistro Montage (#226) Tucked under the Morrison Bridge in Portland is a restaurant that boast a handful of purple goldfish. Here are 3 of my favorites: 1. A signature dish in Spam and Mac. Macaroni & Cheese with your favorite mystery canned meat. 2. Oyster and Mussel Shooters – slimy fellas served in a shot glass with some cocktail sauce and horseradish. Once ordered – the waiter or waitress will immediately scream to the kitchen . . . OYSTER SHOOOOOTER 3. Your leftovers get wrapped up in tin foil. Move over balloon animal guy, the staff at the Bistro will WOW you with their animals. Check out this scorpion.
5. Alligator Lounge (#205 submitted by Matt Sheehan) Matt recommends the Alligator where the pizza is always on the house:
“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.” [Taken from NY Magazine article by Karen Hudes]
4. Michael Lynne’s Tennis Shop (#245 submitted by Will Prest)
“When you pick up your professionally strung racquet, you get a new can of Penn balls with the Michael Lynne Tennis logo and Name in big letters on it. It is a nice gesture, plus his balls are left all over the clubs around town. Here is the website address: http://www.mltennis.com It got me to visit the site and I read a few of the articles on there…they were a nice surprise.” Here is a great article on Michael Lynne Tennis from Racquet Sports Industry.
3. Pizza Shuttle (#221 by Phil Gerbyshak) “I was just thinking about one of my favorite Milwaukee Purple Goldfish, Pizza Shuttle. From the original Andy Warhol “Purple Cow” in the dining area, to the fantastic hold messages (old ones are archived at http://pizzashuttle.com/old.html), to the old Pizza Shuttle trading cards they let people collect of their drivers, to the fact you get free pizza on your birthday, to the in-store photo booth perfect for taking pictures, it’s all fun. Couple that with late-night delivery of pizza AND frozen custard AND chicken AND burgers, fun, unique people who work there and you get an amazing place to eat and an experience for everyone. Another wonderfully inventive thing they do: The world’s largest pizza, available for dine-in only.”
2. Las Ventanas al Paraiso (#236 submitted by Joe Sorge – owner of the legendary AJ Bombers) The lagniappe story that I’d like to add is one of the super luxury resort Las Ventanas al Paraiso of the Rosewood group of properties. While the world has come to expect unparalleled facilities and service from this company and this resort in particular, nothing could have prepared my wife and I for the lagniappes we would experience here.
On our very first full day at the resort, while we were enjoying all that Los Cabos has to offer, the guests services group at the resort was busy preparing a personalized mending kit to match our wardrobe! Done in a slightly larger than matchbook sized kit emblazoned with the Las Ventanas logo. We’re quite proud of ours.
At the end of each evening as part of the resorts “turn down” service for each suite, they left a small token of each day at the resort. This is a small sand pottery sculpture of some shape or form, one night a starfish, another a seahorse and yet another a sea turtle. We have quite a collection.
. . . and the #1 on the fifth Top Ten List:
1. Besito (#238 submitted by Lilliam Villafane Di Giacomo)
The following excerpt from a NYT Review posted on their website under Press mentions the churros and worry dolls.
“The best dessert was the churros given gratis to every table. The warm, long spirals of fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar were delivered in a white paper bag. Along with them we were given tiny Mexican “worry dolls” to be put under our pillows to take away worries. My only worry was the amount of delicious food I’d just eaten.”
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 entire list from The Purple Goldfish Project.
John Miller shares #9 in the Purple Goldfish Project. The free cup of brewed coffee with a pound of beans at Starbucks. 
