What is a Purple Goldfish . . . it’s a Beacon

by Stan Phelps

in purple goldfish project

Digg Digg

Sometimes a purple goldfish is worth a 1,000 words

What is a beacon?  According to Webster’s Dictionary, a beacon is a lighthouse or other signal used for guidance. A beacon is a symbol or a sign.  It’s a representation that can be used for future guidance.

beacon

A purple goldfish is also a beacon.  It’s a physical sign that shows the company cares by ‘giving a little unexpected extra’.  Actions speak louder than words.  We’ve talked about this in the past when analyzing the chocolate chip cookie (It’s not about the cookie, it’s what the cookie represents).

A school of Purple Goldfish

steve curtin tweetSteve Curtin (@enthused) provided the Purple Goldfish Project with an early Christmas present.  He shared a number of pictures from his Flickr account that qualify for submission.

Here are the snaps from Steve:

pg bourbon ballsSteve receives a couple of little extras from Maker’s Mark

pg chick fil a shake

A hand spun milkshake and an invite to connect from Dan Cathy

pg elephant sunglasses

Marriott shows a little style in giving away free sunglasses

pg first watch daytime cafe

Need an umbrella on a rainy day.  Return it for an added bonus

pg laguardia

A little friendly entertainment at Laguardia airport in NYC

pg seafood times

Whole Foods wraps your fish in style

pg ua drink vouchersUnited sends a couple of vouchers in advance of travel

Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra for good measure) – Here is a cute story on communication from Steve regarding small kids, puppies and bedtime:

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? What’s Your Purple Goldfish?

Download the FREE eBook here

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Tweets that mention What is a Purple Goldfish . . . it’s a Beacon -- Topsy.com
December 26, 2010 at 7:23 pm
Marketing Lagniappe: Powered by the Gift Economy
April 23, 2011 at 8:00 pm
Leveraging surplus, status and gift economy principles - Chapter 5
August 9, 2011 at 7:17 am

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