The PURPLE GOLDFISH PROJECT: 1001 Examples of Lagniappe
PLEASE RT —>
I need your help. I’m desperately seeking a purple goldfish. . .
I’m in search of 1001 Examples of Marketing Lagniappe for the book, In Search of Your Purple Goldfish.
A marketing lagniappe, i.e. purple goldfish, is any time a business goes above and beyond to provide a ‘little something extra’. It’s that unexpected surprise that’s thrown in.
Here are the basic ingredients / rules of a purple goldfish:
Relevant, Unexpected, Limited, Expression and Sticky.
5 examples / thought starters:
- Southwest Airlines – Grab you bag . . it’s on. Southwest doesn’t charge for bags
- TD Bank – TD Bank has a penny arcade in their lobby, a free service to all who want to exchange coins
- Five Guys Burgers and Fries – Free peanuts while you wait and extra fries with your order (lots of them)
- Stew Leonard’s – Buy $100 or more of groceries, the register MOO’s and you get a free ice cream or coffee
- Doubletree Hotels - Complimentary warm chocolate chip cookie when you check-in
REWARD – For each of the first 1001 examples of lagniappe I will donate a non-perishable food item to the Thomas Merton Center. The Merton Center is a soup kitchen in Bridgeport, CT that not only provides food, but other programs that help people move out of poverty to become self sufficient.
In addition – each Purple Goldfish example will be featured on the website and the best examples will be featured in my upcoming book.
3 easy ways to contribute:
- e-mail me your Purple Goldfish to stan [at] 9inchmarketing.com
- click the CONTACT button in the header above
- or write a comment on this page including your Purple Goldfish
Bonus: If your ‘purple goldfish’ makes it into the book in 2010 . . . you will receive a complimentary signed copy.
Which brands have made the cut?
(here is the alphabetical list of the first 210)
[A] adidas #204, Amazon #51+165, Aqua Pools #80, Acura (Bridgewater, NJ) #97, AJ Bombers #152, Alligator Lounge #205, American Girl #112, Audi #133, Apple #147, Aveda Spa & Salon #160
[B] Baron Funds #73, Beaver Creek Resort #129, Bed, Bath & Beyond #85, Ben & Jerry’s #4+13, BLT Steakhouse #182, BMW (Circle NJ) #72+150 (Bridgeport CT) #190 (Darien, CT), Bob’s Discount Furniture #126, bosc Marketing Muscle #139, Bridgeton Hotel #89, Hotel Burnham #141
[C] Canyon Cafe #159, Capital Grille #122, Caribou Coffee #2, Carnival Cruise Line #64+208, Carter’s #27, Chicken Delicatessan #127, Chick-fil-a #125, Citizen’s Bank #33, Classic Barber of Greenwich #157, Classic Shine Detailing #82, Clement Marketplace #209, Coca-Cola #186, Cosi #32+206, Courtyard by Marriott #57, Croc’s #184
[D] Del Frisco’s Steak House #118, Demas #173, Denny’s #7, Diamond Cabs #81, Disney #12+149+171, Doubletree Hotels #5+#16+30, Dr. Drysdale #197, Dr. Greg Preston #169, Dry Cleaning Factory #90
[E] endless.com #181, Enterprise Rental Car #105, Enviro Express #84, Ethan Allen #102, etsy.com #188, Exclusive Resorts #119
[F] Fairfield Granite #59, Father & Son’s #43, Fillmore San Francisco #37, Finger Nail Salon #28, Firebox.com #70, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, Foam + Wash #121, Ford #155, Fort Wayne International Airport #176, Four Seasons Hotels #192+218, Friendly’s #75, Fromagerie Rumson #163
[G] Gallery Furniture #62, GAP #55, Good Giving #21, Google #46, Grand Central Racquet #63, Grooming by Debbie #104, Ground Round #53
[H] Hard Rock Cafe #26, Harley Davidson #178, Heights Restaurant #31, Herman Miller #158, High Voltage Tattoo #151, Home Warranty #201, Horizon Air #78, Hotel Murano #185, Hotel Vitale #194, HSBC #145, Hyatt #10+146
[I] IKEA #41+147 + 191, Ikedas #35, Insomnia Cookies #29
[J] J-six #207, Jason Deli #199, Jet Blue #19, John Allen’s #68, John’s Barber Shop #77
[K] Kid City #88, Kimpton Hotels #109+#110, Krispy Kreme #18
[L] Land’s End #128, Langhorne Hotel #24, Les Schwab #17+156, Lexus #1+23+48+69+200, Listel #99, Little Nell #98, Los Cabos #87, Lou Mitchell’s #83, Lovefilm.com #108, Lozano Car Wash #130, LUSH #189
[M] Maroni Cuisine #223, Mario’s Barber Shop #47, Martin + Osa #86, Martin Guitar #60, Maxwell House #183, McDonald’s #8+44+100+114, McLellan Marketing Group #136+137+138, Midwest Airlines #142, MIP #168
[N] Native Eyewear #58, New Belgium Brewery #162, New Jersey #132, NINJA #111, Northwest Airlines #106
[O] Odwalla #198, Ogori Cafe #203, Oxford Stuff #135, Outagamit Airport #180, Overstock #166
[P] Pacific Cafe #143, Panera #45+#50 + #154, Paste Magazine #34, Patriot Bank #61, Peabody Hotel #113, Pepperidge Farm #134, Plaza Cleaners #123, Port Columbus Airport #179, Publix #96+117, Purchasing Power #196
[R] Ralph’s #167, Redeye Grill NYC #79, Reno – Tahoe Aiport #177, Rod Oglesby Realty #153, Roger Smith Hotel #174
[S] Sage Valley Country Club #120, Scrub a Dub #6, Sephora #101, Sky Lake Hospital #187, Slay’s on Main #172, Southwest Airlines #93, Speck #175, Splash Car Wash #67, Starbucks #9+20+36+40, Stew Leonard’s #91+124, Subway #39, Super Food Town #71, Sushi Time #164
[T] TD Bank #49+76+92, Tim Coffey #65, Tom Quick Inn #210, Tom’s Shoes #3, Toyboat Desserts Cafe #144, Toys R Us #15, Toyzam #115+131, Trader Joe’s #42+161
[U] USAA #56, US Postal #14
[V] Velocity #174, VW (New Country Greenwich) #193
[W] Wegman’s #116, Wells Fargo #38, Westminster Hotel #74, Whole Foods #11+22, WineLibrary.com #170
[Z] Zappo’s #107+195
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#256. Submitted by Meredith Liepelt
Rich Life Marketing
http://www.richlifemarketing.com
“As a marketing coach, I work with solo-entrepreneurs and small business owners to help them increase their visibility online and offline. Once they decide to work with me, I send them a “welcome kit” which is a surprise to them. It includes 5 additional benefits to our coaching package that are outlined in the attached kit. In addition, I provide them with 7 of my most popular articles, checklists and forms that they can use immediately to attract ideal clients and increase their visibility. Lastly, I tell them how they can be featured on my blog, in my ezine and/or in my social media outlets, which will further expand their visibility and reach. This all comes as a surprise and is always very well-received.”
Submitted by Nadine Cualoping
#257. AOL — value-add edit promotion for custom programs / products created for Advertising Partners
#258. Whole Foods – 10 cents credit towards grocery bill for each bag you bring in
#259. Equinox – member appreciation days with free samples, services etc.
#260. NYC MTA – 15% bonus on $8 Metrocards
#261. Submitted by Stacey Rudy
Chobee
“My client Chobee Hoy Associates is a full service real estate firm in Brookline, MA. Chobee is the epitome of someone who will go above and beyond for her clients. Not only will Chobee provide her sellers with an unprecedented amount of advertising; Chobee will make an valiant effort to get their home sold in a timely manner. Here are some other examples of how Chobee has gone above & beyond for her clients:
Chobee will have a home stager come in to evaluate her customer’s home. Stagers offer helpful information that make the home more marketable.
If Chobee has a client who is relocating and their home is vacant, she will make sure that the vacant home is properly maintained and cared for. (ie., monitor heat & ac, pick up mail, provide lawn care maintenance, etc.).
Chobee will also provide new home buyers with helpful information about local schools, shopping, recreational information & etc. She will make sure that her clients are well educated on the area they select.
Chobee has provided her clients with outstanding service for over 30 years and this has led to a long list of dedicated admirers.”
http://www.exposeyourselfpr.com
262. Submitted by Kevin Sudeith
Warrug
“I’m in the Persian rug biz and ‘throwing something in’ at payment is a standard practice, which usually says ‘you overpaid’.
Almost any retail rug seller has stories about this practice.
In my case I throw in a book I wrote about the rugs I sell.”
http://www.warrug.com
#263. Submitted by Suzanne Andrews
“Hi, Im the host of Functional Fitness, PBS TV currently being closed captioned for the hearing impaired and for syndication. When people purchase my DVDs, I truly care about their results. (Im also a occupational therapy pracititoner who works in rehab) People get an email after their purchase that lets them know our service does not end after the purchase of their DVD. I sincerely mean that and if anyone has a question, they can ask and I will personally answer them. Try and get that from any TV Fitness person:) Ive written myself and they dont respond or it takes months or you get a canned response saying thanks for your email. Behind each DVD that sells is a person with a life challenge and Functional Fitness is real life fitness solutions for real life challenges.”
–
Suzanne Andrews, President
http://www.healthwiseexercise.com
Host of Functional Fitness, PBS TV
“We put the FUN in FUNctional Fitness!”
SEE A 60 SECOND PREVIEW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQGJdMKQ5ao
#264. Submitted by Nadine Cualoping
Entertainment Weekly
“Entertainment Weekly magazine has an Advance Movie Screening program for subscribers (you have to enroll in the program and it’s first come first served, but it’s a nice perk since you and a friend can see movies for free).”
#265 Submitted by Meredith Liepelt
“Identity by Skin Perfect is a new makeup brand and retail store in Worthington, Ohio. They specialize in color analysis, high-quality custom blend mineral make up and image consulting. What sets their brand apart from others is that instead of selling “ sexy” like many other cosmetic lines, they sell “happy.” Their focus is on overall image wellness by playing up a client’s best qualities. To promote the feeling of “happy” in their store, they use lighting that is fresh and clean, they have plenty of fabulous chocolate available for their customers, display fresh flowers, create special sessions with groups of girlfriends, wedding parties and other events, provide product samples and conduct client-care follow up calls to their customers. http://www.MyColorIdentity.com – coming soon. http://www.skinperfectclinic.com – the sister Spa to Identity.”
#266. Submitted by Karen Wylie
Blue Ridge Soap Shed
We are a 12 year old business and include gifts with every order we ship. We provide free samples with all web, phone and mail orders (about 4,000 orders a year), and the number of samples is based on the dollar value of the order.
First time customers were so unaccustomed to receiving something free, that we had to start labeling the gifts AS ‘gifts.’ When we didn’t, we estimate that 20-30% of new customers would call or email us worried that we made a mistake with their order. Some would ask how to return the extra product, others would state in very annoyed emails that they hoped they weren’t charged extra for it.
We quickly realized that our nice gesture had potentially negative consequences for us, because the free gift created a doubt or concern in some customers’ minds about their order, our business, or how we handled their order. So we adopted additional packaging and shipping procedures. All free items we provide now have a gold label that says ‘Thank You’ or ‘Enjoy this Gift’ or ‘With Our Compliments’ so there is NO QUESTION the item is free.
We initially started providing small samples to our web & mail customers as a marketing strategy. We would review a customer’s order, and include free samples of similar scents. Our free gifts have become quite a tradition, and something customers say they look forward to with each delivery. I don’t think this is a gesture we could ever stop making without incurring a negative or disappointing response from our very loyal customers.
Over the years, we extended our tradition to visitors to our retail shop because they asked why our mail order customers got something they did NOT. This required us to create a completely different set of procedures for providing free gifts in the face-to-face retail shop environment.”
Karen Wylie & Tim Tyndall, OwnersThe Blue Ridge Soap Shedwww.soapshed.com, 877-404-SOAP(828) 765-6001
Thanks, Stan – What a great project and book!
#267. Submitted by Bill Coleman
Bill Coleman Entertainment
“We are a small variety entertainment company based in Denver, CO. We
provide ground acts, strolling acts and attractions including
interactive stilt walkers, Dancing Christmas Trees, 18 foot tall Giant
Parade Puppets, the 14 foot tall solar powered Bubble Tower Sculpture,
and group play activities with Giant Bubbles , the Bubble Petting Zoo
and dozens of old fashioned hand held wood stilts and bucket stilts.
We help build community by entertaining at fairs, festivals, parades,
promotions, celebrations and special events of all kinds within 1000
miles of Denver, CO.
From time to time, we add a “freebie” to the event.
The presenting sponsor of the Denver ST Patrick’s Parade hires us to
help add more excitement to the parade.
In the past, we included an extra Giant Parade Puppet. This year they
are getting an extra Stilt Walker.”
Walking tall and stretching imaginations!
http://www.stiltwalker.com/
http://www.bubbletower.com/
#268. Submitted by Nic Nelson
Fjeldheim
“There are a lot of vacation homes in the Lake Tahoe area. Some of them are as big as we are, some are as luxurious as we are, but none match us in both categories. This is actually a problem. How many groups of 20+ people are looking for a fully-appointed luxury chalet? (most settle for big cheap “tourist sheds”) How many high-end families actually want 9000sf and 9 bedrooms? (most high-dollar customers come in groups of less than 7, even when an extended family or two families are traveling together)
We try to close the deal, and we win repeat customers, largely because of the “lagniappe” we offer: little things like free handmade custom-glazed Fjeldheim coffee mugs, or a gift basket of wine, chocolates, cheese and crackers to the person who made the groups reservation, and sometimes big things like event shuttle service (allowing guests to park at the free casino parking at the bottom of the mountain, and shuttling them up to Fjeldheim) or even setting up a Christmas tree for them so that it was ready and lit when they walked in the door.”
http://www.TahoeMountainHome.com
323-363-4417
#269. Submitted by Jordan Stark
Moe’s Southwest Grill in New York City
“I thought of you the other day when I grabbed lunch a Moe’s Southwest Grill and was pleased to find that with any of the meals you order you are given free tortilla chips and then can pick from 4 or 5 different types of salsa. This may not sound like much but over Chipotle, the most comparable quick-food mexican restaurant, that would cost you $2.50. Who doesn’t love some free chips and salsa with their meal??”
Submitted by Debbie Fay
Bespeak Presentation Solutions
http://bespeakpresentations.com
“I am a public speaking coach and presentations development
specialist. i have 3 purple goldfish. [#270.] the first is a long sleeve t-shirt i send my first year customers at holiday time. it has “bejoy” on the front which mimicks my own logo “bespeak”. on the back is my tag line; bespeak; be heard.
The second [#271] are orange (my brand color) megaphones that i give my training “graduates” that have my logo and website on them.
Lastly, [#272] for my second year clients (and beyond) i sent out zip drives with my logo and website. Now they have a place to put their presentations! I cannot tell you the great thank you emails, letters and phone calls i get. When i haul my goodies to the post office in November i am positively giddy thinking of their surprise when they receive my
gifts.”
#273 From Drew McLellan
Taken from Drew’s Marketing Minute. The story of Frank, the taxi driver from Texas. A superb video from Shep Hyken:
http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/2010/03/do-you-inspire-customer-service-tales.html
#274 and #275 from Regina Baena Madwed in Fairfield, CT
Capitol PhotoInteractive http://capitolphotointeractive.com
“I really enjoyed your presentation. (#274) I give out a brag book after each special event. It is 5×5 in size and captures the story of their event. (#275) I am also giving out mint cans with my information to all of my clients (with mints).”
#276 from Amy Kaplan
Success Tutoring
“Hi Stan, Thanks for the wonderful presentation. I send welcome cards to the parents when they choose me as a tutor. Then, I am sure to send birthday cards to each of my students (and long after they are no longer my students). I also send graduation cards.”
Amy L. Kaplan
Success Tutoring, LLC
http://www.SuccessTutoringLLC.com
Amy [at] SuccessTutoringLLC.com
A Baker’s 1/2 Dozen from Brian Litvack at Sportsvite
#276. Doubletree Hotels – Gives away delicious cookies to all guests
#277. Reef Sandals with bottle opener on the bottom
#278. Bolt Bus — Free Internet service and $1 fares — https://www.boltbus.com
#279. Olive Garden — Free salad and breakdsticks
#280. Fuddruckers Fixins Bar or Baja Fresh Salsa Bar
#281. Blimpy Burger (Ann Arbor, Michigan) gives change in $2 bills — http://www.blimpyburger.com/
At Sportsvite, (#282) we give out headbands at every meeting that we go on as our own little marketing lagniappe.
Sportsvite
http://sportsvite.com
Submitted by Rob Gallo via a superb article on TripAdvisor:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/InfoCenter-a_ctr.amenities
#282. Hotel Gansevoort, New York, NY – Fun and games at the Gansevoort. Free Sony PSP and Nintendo Wii use for guests. Or, check out a Digital Book Reader.
#283. W South Beach, Miami Beach, FL – The Whatever/Whenever® service gives you a free lift about town in the hotel’s Acura MDX.
#284. CuisinArt Resort & Spa, Anguilla, Caribbean – “You might just find a bottle of great rum in your room…and a bowl of their home grown cherry tomatoes.”
#285. Hotel Max, Seattle, WA – “I loved the “pillow menu” with such options as “body,” “reading,” and “U-shape,” along with the more conventional soft, firm, medium firm, etc. I also liked the “spiritual menu,” with a list of religious reading matter they would provide.”
#286. Lisloughrey Lodge, County Mayo, Ireland –
“..a Wii room, Wellies, umbrellas and walking maps for guests, which I thought was a really nice touch.”
“child-sized bathrobes, and gourmet cookies with names iced on each for all 3 kids!”
#287. Hotel Erwin, Los Angeles, CA – “‘Ink & Stay’ package, with a $100 tattoo voucher to use at a neighbourhood tattoo shop. I even got a free bottle of Patron tequila…”
#288. Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston, MA – “The Fairmont Copley has something that no other hotel in the area has – the beautiful dog (black lab) named Catie who hangs out in the lobby to greet guests – what a sweet dog.”
#289. Opus Hotel – Vancouver, BC – “The room had some fun and funky features that included a peek-a-boo window from the bedroom into the washroom, brightly painted walls, and comic books for reading. It also had unusual minibar amenities that includes a logo’d hat and plastic-wrapped novels. Best of all, our dog was welcomed with a surprise package that included treats, accessories and Modern Dog magazine. The hotel oozes personality.”
#290. Hotel Monaco – Chicago, IL – “The staff is friendly and helpful, even going so far as to hand us umbrellas as we headed out the door on a rainy day. Rooms are clean, and boast a hip decor. I especially loved the plush animal-print bath robes, available to each guest. Turn down service was a bonus. We arrived back to the hotel each evening to find ice in our ice bucket, the bed turned down with chocolates on our pillows, relaxing jazz music playing in our room, and the lights dimly lit. WOW! In addition, the wine hour each evening made our stay over the top.”
#291 DK Design Partners
Taken from an article in the Fairfield County Business Journal:
Ken and Dina Houser decided to do something different with client gifts. “After many years of wine and the usual gifts, you don’t stand out”.
This spurred the idea of creating jars of granola for their clients based on a recipe that Dina’s Mom had passed down.
The granola was well received and has now become its own business for Ken and Dina.
Check them out at http://olagranola.com/
Blues City Cafe Memphis TN
I give them 2 purple goldfish!
#292. We dined there for lunch on a recent visit. I was served my lunch which included fries which I thought were perfectly good. When the waitress stopped by with a drink less than 5 minutes later, she handed us another plate of fries and said, “Here, these are fresher.”
#293. Later that night, I was taking a picture of my partner under a sign next door to the cafe. The maitre d (who sits out front at a station), who had no idea that we had eaten there earlier, said, “Y’all need to be in that picture together.,” came over and took our picture.
#294. From Andrew Lock at ‘Help . . . My Business Sucks’
I was listening to Andrew’s weekly video podcast and he spoke of a recent trip to a local Outback Restaurant. When Andrew and his wife checked in with the hostess they were informed that the wait was 45 minutes. Right then in the that moment of hesitation the hostess did something remarkable. She offered them a complimentary drink on the house. Andrew and his wife accepted and guess what . . . they gladly waited the 45 minutes while enjoying their free drink.
Nice job Outback. No rules . . . just right.
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