My friend Rick Liebling recently shared some insight on lagniappe. Here is a link to the full article on his blog at rickliebling.com. His blog is a great read if you live in the world of marketing and pr.
Here is a snippet from his latest post:
. . . Lagniappe. It’s a fantastic concept that explains how brands can benefit by giving consumers just a little bit extra (read about it here). As I was reading “My life,” a blog by my friend and colleague Anastasia Wylie, she made reference, via a Jason Mraz song, to one of my all-time favorite lagniappes.
Ever go to a fast food joint, order regular french fries, and get one curly fry in the bag? Man, I love that! It’s such an incredibly small thing, it’s an accident of location really (the regular fries are right next to the curly fries in the kitchen). But it makes you feel like you received something you weren’t supposed to, that others didn’t get, and that you wouldn’t necessarily have asked for (”hey, could you throw one curly fry in there please?”), but once you get it, you are over-joyed. That’s a lagniappe.
I love how Rick has summarized the feeling you get when you receive a ‘lagniappe’. The curly fry is that ‘unexpected’ little extra. My niece Laura talked about a similar experience when she first went to Caribou Coffee (Purple Goldfish Project #2). Caribou gives every customer a complimentary chocolate covered coffee bean with each cup of coffee. Imagine what its like as a first time customer receiving that ‘purple goldfish’. Laura talks about how she actually looks forward to her airport layovers in the midwest and actively seeks out Caribou. Sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference.
Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra for good measure) – Caribou’s first TV spot. Highlighting the fact they use real chocolate:
Lagniappe defined: 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 for good measure.
How do you stand out in the sea of sameness? How do you win repeat customers and influence word of mouth? Are you Giving Little Unexpected Extras?
What’s Your GLUE?
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