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, What’s 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 / r.u.l.e.s 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
- Zappos - Free upgrade of your shipping to next day
REWARD – For each of the first 1,001 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 sphelps [at] synergyevents.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 501)
Click on the links for the following numbers in the Project:
1-76 77-139 140 – 202 203-255 256-323 324-383 384-445 445 -501
[A] ABT Electronics #391, adidas #204, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital #476, Aqua Pools #80, Acura (Bridgewater, NJ) #97, Advantage Cleaners #322, AJ Bombers #152, Alaska Stock Images #440, Alligator Lounge #205, Amazon #51+165+441, American Express #297+415, American Girl #112, America’s Tire #412, Amica Insurance #428, Anne Perschel #350, AOL #257, Arby’s #227, Arigato Sushi #355, Audi #133, Apple #147+237+370, Aveda Spa & Salon #160, Avis #490
[B] Bank of the Islands #244, Bar 89 #230, Bar Breton #477, Baron Funds #73, Baskin Robbins #484, Beaver Creek Resort #129, Bed Bath & Beyond #85, Ben & Jerry’s #4+13, Bergdorf Goodman #329, Besito #238+239, Bespeak Presentation Solutions #270, Best Buy #474, Bigelow Tea #378, Bill Coleman Entertainment #267, Bistro Montage #226, Blimpy Burger #281, Bloom Processing #217, Blues City Memphis Cafe #292, Blue Ridge Soap Shed #266, BLT Steakhouse #182, BMW (Circle NJ) #72+150 (Bridgeport CT) #190 (Darien, CT), Blue Salon #326, Bob Magruder #298, Bob’s Discount Furniture #126+398+399, Body Evolution #343, Bolt Bus #278, Bona Bros #356, bosc Marketing Muscle #139, Bose #421, Brandeis University #242, Bridgeton Hotel #89, Broadview Hotel #442, Brock University #346, Bruster’s #419, Busse Automotive #331, Hotel Burnham #141, Butler’s Dry Cleaning #405
[C] Cafe Ibis #409, Cafe Luxemborg #496, Calise’s Delicatessan, Campus Advantage #464+465+466+467+468, Canyon Cafe #159, Capital Grille #122+438, Capitol Photo Interactive #274, Caribou Coffee #2, Carnival Cruise Line #64+208, Carter’s #27, Cartridge World #249, Chaffin’s Plumbing #360, Chegg #235, Chicken Delicatessan #127, Chick-fil-a #125, Chipotle #301, Chobee #261, Chocopologie #406, Citizen’s Bank #33, Classic Barber of Greenwich #157, Classic Shine Detailing #82, Clayton’s Automotive #372, Clement Marketplace #209, Coca-Cola #186, Comcast #381, Conference Call Unlimited #339, Cosi #32+206, Costco #216, Courtyard by Marriott #57, Croc’s #184, CuisinArt Resort & Spa #284, Cum Laude #243, Customer Connection Co. #420
[D] Dancing Elephants #247, Danny Meyer #403, Dave Carroll #340, David Yurman #327, Dedrick’s Pharmacy and Gifts, Del Frisco’s Steak House #118, Del Taco #451, Delta Shuttle #361, Demas #173, Denny’s #7, Descend Salon #394, DIAGEO #413, Diamond Cabs #81, Discount Tires #408, Disney #12+149+171+228, Distinctive Homes #254, Domino’s #237, Donna Spears #325, Doris & Ed’s #318, Doubletree Hotels #5+#16+30+276+500, Dr. Drysdale #197, Dr. Greg Preston #169, Dry Cleaning Factory #90, Dunkin Donuts #338
[E] El Bandito #400, endless.com #181, Enterprise Rental Car #105, Entertainment Weekly #264, Enviro Express #84, ESPN Zone #334, Ethan Allen #102, etsy.com #188, Equinox #259, Exclusive Resorts #119
[F] Fairfield Granite #59, Fairfield Inn #387, Fairmont Copley Plaza #288, Fairfield Lumber #448, Fat Cat Pie Company #231, Father & Son’s #43, Fjeldheim #268, FIG #473, Fiji Water #462, Fillmore San Francisco #37, Finger Nail Salon #28, Firebox.com #70, Fiskars #353, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, Foam + Wash #121, Ford #155, Fort Wayne International Airport #176, Four Seasons Hotels #192+218, Four Seasons Kuda Hara #304, Fresh Direct #359, Friendly’s #75+418, Fromagerie Rumson #163, Frontier #222, Fuddruckers #280, Functional Fitness #263
[G] Gallery Furniture #62, Gans Ink #501, GAP #55, Garden Catering #471, Good Giving #21, Google #46, Graegle Hardware #354, Grand Central Racquet #63, Grateful Dead #310, Great Harvest Bakery #383, Green Dragon Herbals #255, Grooming by Debbie #104, Ground Round #53, Gumba’s #336
[H] Hard Rock Cafe #26, Harley Davidson #178, Heights Restaurant #31, Heineken #307, Herman Miller #158, High Voltage Tattoo #151, Home Warranty #201, Horizon Air #78, Hotel Erwin #287, Hotel Gansevoort #282, Hotel Max #285, Hotel Monaco #290+395, Hotel Murano #185, HUB Plumbing & Mechanical #324, Hotel Vitale #194, HSBC #145, Hyatt #10+146
[I] IKEA #41+147 + 191, Ikedas #35, Insomnia Cookies #29, ITHF #240, iTreadmill #371
[J] J-six #207, Jansport #435, Jason Deli #199, Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar #313, Jesse’s Toys #212, Jet Blue #19+352+375+414, John Allen’s #68, John’s Barber Shop #77, John’s Pizzeria #316, Joie de Vivre Hotels #492, Josh Early Candies #225, Julien McRoberts #253
[K] Kid City #88, Kimpton Hotels #109+#110, K-Mart #366, Krispy Kreme #18
[L] La Mela #470, Landers Chrysler Jeep #347, Landmarc Restaurant #495, Land’s End #128, Langhorne Hotel #24,Las Ventana al Paraiso #236, Le Foret #494, Lenscrafters #312, Les Schwab #17+156+302, Lexus #1+23+48+69+200+348+367+427+434, Lightspan Digital #311, Lisloughrey Lodge #286, Listel #99, Little Nell #98, liveGLOCAL #432, Los Cabos #87,Louisiana Lagniappe #469, Louisiana Territory #379, Lou Mitchell’s #83, Lowe’s #491, Lovefilm.com #108, Lozano Car Wash #130, LUSH #189
[M] Macy’s #328, Maroni Cuisine #223, Mario’s Barber Shop #47, Martin + Osa #86, Max Motor’s #224, Marriott #410, Martin Guitar #60, Maxwell House #183, McDonald’s #8+44+100+114, McLellan Marketing Group #136+137+138, Mealey’s #214+215, Mermaid Inn #429, Metropolis Performing Arts Center #332, Midwest Airlines #142, MIP #168, Mitchell’s #450, Moe’s Southwest Grill #269, Mount Gay Rum #488, MTA #260
[N] National Car Rental #330, Native Eyewear #58, Neiman Marcus #475, Netflix #445, New Belgium Brewery #162, New Horizons #499, New Jersey #132, NINJA #111, New York Sportimes #463, Nordstrom #314+430+436, Northwest Airlines #106, Nurse Next Door #437
[O] Odwalla #198, Ogori Cafe #203, Ola Granola #291, Olive Garden #279, 1-800-Pet-Meds #479, Opus Hotel #289, Orbitz #482, Oscar Mayer #362, Oxford Stuff #135, Outagamit Airport #180, Outback #294, Overstock #166
[P] Pacific Cafe #143, Palomino #489, Pampered Hand Salon #396, Panera #45+#50 + #154, Paradise Music #251, Paste Magazine #34, Patriot Bank #61, Paul Dunay ‘Facebook Marketing for Dummies’ #309, Peabody Hotel #113, Pepperidge Farm #134, Peet’s Coffee & Tea #299, PHD #219, Peter Millar #446+461, PGA Tour #483, Pixar #470, Philadelphia Cream Cheese #485, Pizza Express #363, Pizza Shuttle #221, Plaza Cleaners #123, Port Columbus Airport #179, Porter Airlines #300, Pot Belly Sandwiches #480, Prince #385, Principled Profit #248, Publix #96+117, Puente Aereo #433, Purchasing Power #196
[Q] Quinta Real #305
[R] Ralph’s #167, Redbox #380, Redeye Grill NYC #79, Reef Sandals #277, Reno – Tahoe Aiport #177, Rich Life Marketing #256, Rimsky Korsakoffee #229, Rita’s Water Ice #384, Rite Aid #364, Ritz Carlton Hotel #443, Rod Oglesby Realty #153, Roger Smith Hotel #174, Russell Speeder’s Car Wash #321
[S] Sage Valley Country Club #120, Saladworks #425, Salute #401, Sam Adams #487, Sanderson Group #246, Schering Plough #373, Scooter’s Coffee #342, Scrub a Dub #6, Sears #365, Seaworld #344+345, See’s Candy #417, Sephora #101, Shelter Harbor Inn #481, Sheraton #411, 6pm.com #407, Skin Perfect #265, Skooba Design #389, Sky Lake Hospital #187, Slay’s on Main #172, SNY #296, Snip-its #404, Sonic #459, Southwest Airlines #93, Speck #175, Splash Car Wash #67+453, Sports Illustrated #497, Sportsvite #282, Staples #241, Starbucks #9+20+36+40+351+376, Stew Leonard’s #91+124+431, Subway #39, Success Tutoring #276, Sun Chips #335, Super Food Town #71, Susan Wendy Salon #357, Sushi Time #164
[T] Taos Resort #423, TD Bank #49+76+92+454+455+456+457+458, TGI Friday’s #213, Tiffany #232, Thai Basil #306, The “21″ Club, Thomas Boston #445, Thomas J. Walsh Contracting #250, Timbuk2 #392, Tim Coffey #65, Tipsy Parson #388, Tom Quick Inn #210, Tom’s Shoes #3, Tony’s #382, Tory Burch #393, Town Fair Tire #452, Toyboat Desserts Cafe #144, Toys R Us #15, Toyzam #115+131, Trader Joe’s #42+161+320+374
[U] Umpqua Bank, United Airlines #386+422+439, UPS #211+486, USAA #56, US Postal #14
[V] Velocity #174, Via Rail #341, Village Market #233, Vinny’s Deli & Pasta #424, Virgin America #358, Viva Zapata #447, VW (New Country Greenwich) #193
[W] Waldorf Astoria #402, Warrug #262, Wayzata Dental #369, Wawa #317, Wegman’s #116, Wells Fargo #38, Westminster Hotel #74, Whole Foods #11+22+258+315, William Austin’s Antiques #308, Wilson’s #333, WineLibrary.com #170, Wordsmith Writing #390, W South Beach #283
[Z] Zane’s Cycles #460, Zappo’s #107+195+319+349+397+493, Zea Rotisserie & Grill #478
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#516 Taken from a blogpost on ‘Baller Status’
Gold to Go
“Talk about stuntin’ … what if you could hit the ATM for gold bars? In Dubai, you can do just that.
At Abu Dhabi’s top hotel, they are upping the ante in the race for Gulf luxury by the addition of a gold-dispensing machine.
According to reports, the Emirates Palace has just added an ATM-style kiosk machine, which offers small bars up to 10 grams or coins with customized designs.
It monitors the daily gold price and charges accordingly. All you have to do is put in your cash, and you got gold! They plan to add a credit card option at a later date.
The Associated Press reports that the idea came from German entrepreneur, Thomas Geissler, who began testing the cash-for-gold machines in his native country in 2009.
It debuted at the Dubai on Wednesday (May 12), and is being billed as the first international foray for Geissler’s “Gold to Go” brand.”
#517 and #518 from Neiman Marcus
- Free shipping at any price (if you use a code)
- Free chocolate cookie recipe (it refutes an urban legend about NM charging $250 for their cookie recipe). Smart move turning a negative into a positive.
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nm_cookie_recipe.jhtml
#519 from Ann-Marie Lavoie
Market Basket Supermarket
“I’d like to add, Market Basket Supermarket to the Purple Goldfish. They always have complimentary coffee, regular and decaf, avalible to customers while they shop. They also have free cookies for the kids at the bakery.
The particular store I’d like to nominate is at
27 Portsmouth Ave #6
Straham, NH 03885
(603) 772-2952
Thanks!”
#520 From Stan,
“Enjoyed meeting you at the recent Edison Awards Ceremony at the MENG table.
A purple goldfish: On a trip to Montreal last week we visited the
Biosphere. This architectural masterpiece, and symbol of Expo 67, is located in downtown Montréal, on Sainte-Hélène Island’s Parc Jean Drapeau.
The many exhibits are aimed at increasing understanding of major environmental issues such as renewable energy, sustainable transportation, recycling, etc.
Upon arrival we were asked if we traveled to the Biosphere by any form of “green” transportation (metro, bike, walking, hybrid car) and were rewarded with a 25% discount from the admission price for doing so. That was a $12 savings for my family of four. Relevant and unexpected!
Good luck with the project.”
#521. Wickstrom Auto Group
Wickstrom in Barrington, Illinois offers customers free and unlimited soda fountain drinks in their waiting room. I was pleasantly surprised and thrilled!! I actually enjoyed waiting for my car.
#522. Submitted by Lindsay Willott of customerthermometer.com
McCurlys Tours
McCurlys (a car rental company in Grand Cayman) picks you up at the airport and takes you to your vacation villa or resort where your rental car is waiting for you, with the option of a free stop at the local supermarket to stock up on essentials on the way.
The customer really wins here – they don’t have to drive after a long flight (and potentially a few beers!) and they get to buy the
essentials before getting to their villa, meaning they don’t have to
go back out on unfamiliar roads one day 1 if they don’t want to.
And finally, the car is at the villa, not at the airport, so no long
form-filling, waiting in line or trying to find the rental car in the
lot.
#523. From Bobby Stern
Two Urban Licks
Two Urban Licks provides complimentary valet service for all customers.
#524. Submitted by Christina Nathanson
Hilo Hattie
“Aloha Stan, I’d like to share with you my purple goldfish…and hope to follow it up with a video.
I’d like to nominate “Hilo Hattie Stores”. Upon entrance to the store, all shoppers receive a free shell lei greeting (makes me feel
special), complimentary refreshments (delish P.O.G. juice (papaya,
orange, guava), Kona coffee and food tastings, customer lounge areas, product demonstrations such as “How to wear a Sarong” (I can never remember how to tie one anyway), and free transportation from Waikiki and most neighbor island hotels.
Hilo Hattie is Hawaii’s largest Hawaiian retailer and manufacturer of Hawaiian and tropical products. Hilo Hattie was a very popular
entertainer in the 50s and 60s and this store keeps her legacy going. In fact, according to their website,
“She popularized the comic hula style with such tunes as “Princess
Pupule Has Plenty Papayas” and “When Hilo Hattie Does the Hula Hop”.
See, purple is prevalent in Hawaii.
Mahalo and have a great day!”
#525. Submitted by James Sorenson @expertinservice from a post by Gwen Tanner on Gwen’s Blog:
Skullcandy
I want to share a story about some good, no EXCELLENT, customer service I just received.
I had (still have) my heart set on securing a pair of Skullcandy Aviator Headphones (I wanted (still want) a pair of brown/gold ones). So when they were taking pre-orders, I eagerly ordered mine. The advertised shipment date was June 21. I believe I ordered mine late May or early June.
Just a couple of days ago I was thinking “hmm, wonder what happened with my headphone.” But I didn’t much more about it being that I hadn’t been charged because they haven’t been shipped. I’m aware of problems with manufacturing and ship dates, etc.
So, today, Saturday afternoon, I heard the doorbell ring and it was FedEx. I wasn’t expecting any packages, but I opened the door anyway. He was nice and friendly, explained how hot it was outside and showed me how much he was sweating (too much information, but a friendly guy nonetheless). I’m wondering who the package was from, and I see Skullcandy on the box.
Now, I’m excited because even though I didn’t get a shipment notice that my headphones had gone out, I was still pretty excited to get them! I ripped open the box, like a kid on Christmas day, and pulled out a bunch of paper and found the headphones… hmmm, these were not what I ordered at all! These were their Holua Gold earbuds! What??? Now I’m getting a perturbed, after waiting so long, they send the wrong item?
So, I went back into the box and grab all the paper to see if I was charged for these things. I notice on the packing slip there were no charges made to me.
Then I read the accompanying letter:
Fellow Skull: (that would be me)
Thanks for your patience in receiving the hottest headphones on the planet. We’re sorry it’s taking longer than we expected for your Roc Nation Aviators to arrive. We hope you enjoy these Holua ear buds as a token of our dedication to maintain the highest level of service possible. Please know your order is at the very top of our list and you will receive your goods as soon as they are available.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me directly… (from Customer Service Supervisor at Skullcandy)
What!!?? Not only were they thoughtful enough to apologize and let me know my order is delayed, they wrote me a nice letter with a very nice gift (Holua earbuds are $95!) AND sent it by FedEx Home delivery for me to receive it on a Saturday.
I was grinning from ear-to-ear and even said “Awwwwww! Thats so nice!” Even though it was not necessary to do this, I think making your company, your brand, your service, and your name stand many heads and shoulders above the rest, is what will give you customers for life. And that is why I’m now, from this day, a Skullcandy customer for life!”
#526. Taken from the blog nola.blogspot.com
Blue Star
“Blue Star Museums is a partnership among Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more than 850 museums in all 50 states to offer free admission to military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 31, 2010, through Labor Day, September 6, 2010.
The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard), National Guard and Reserve members and up to five immediate family members.
This is a great opportunity for those who serve our country to enjoy the best museums that this country has to offer.”
#527. Taken from a blog by Google
Sit back, relax, and explore: new seatback maps with Virgin America
“One of my favorite truisms is, “no matter where you go, there you are.” Call me sappy, but it’s a nice way to remember that every place on Earth has meaning, history and identity. But let’s face it: when you’re on an airplane, traveling over unknown lands at triple-digit speeds, it’s hard to get a sense of where you really are.
That’s why I’m happy to announce that as a part of our continued partnership with Virgin America, we’ve completely updated the Google Maps data on the touchscreens of every airplane seat. As before, the map shows you almost exactly where you are, and you can zoom and pan to explore. Now, with our beautiful terrain view and fresh Google data, the maps are not only prettier, but also highlight mountains, elevation and other natural features. In other words, it more closely matches what you’d actually see if you had cloud-penetrating eyesight and looked out the window from 35,000 feet.
Virgin America also announced this morning that it will soon show up in more places on the map. With an order of 60 aircraft, the airline will triple its fleet size and expand to many new destinations. So whether you’re flying one of those planes from San Francisco to Seattle, or New York to Los Angeles, we hope the new Google Maps can help answer questions like, “Is that Mt. Hood or Mt. St. Helens on the right?” and “What’s that huge canyon over there?” Or, if you want to explore Street View or satellite images of where you’re headed, Google Maps also works great on the in-flight WiFi Internet!”
#528. Taken from Lynette at the blog http://www.beauty.thefuntimesguide.com
“Kiehl’s Offers Free Samples… Without Hesitation!
I read this in Real Simple magazine:
Kiehl’s hands out samples of every product it sells — approximately 10 million giveaways a year.”
Woah! I did not know that.
But wait, there’s more!
The article went on to say that you can request Kiehl’s samples in 3 ways:
#1 At a Kiehl’s store.
#2 At a Kiehl’s counter in a department store.
#3 Or over the phone!
Call Kiehl’s and tell the operator what you’d like to try and the company will send you up to 3 samples.
How cool is that?! Their toll-free number is (800) 543-4572.
Just to be sure, I went to the Kiehl’s website and found this:
We understand that no two skin or hair types are exactly alike and that products work differently for each person. To ensure you find the precise products that meet your needs, Kiehl’s pioneered an extensive Sampling Program many years ago. We’re confident that when you try our products, you will recognize the high quality and efficacy of the preparation. We invite you to try 3 Kiehl’s samples with your first order of the day to discover other Kiehl’s formulations from our extensive line of skin, hair and body care. –Kiehl’s
I’ve always read rave reviews about Kiehl’s products in women’s magazines, but I have yet to try any of their stuff. You can bet I’m planning a visit to a Kiehl’s store sometime soon!
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