Consumer Passion

Carousel Frozen Treats in Warrenton, Virginia: Ice Cream (frozen custard) Paradise

Each year, as the end of October approaches, a depression begins to hang over the town of Warrenton, Virginia.  The gloomy sadness is not due to the weather, because autumn is a splendid time here, witnessed to by tens of thousands of pilgrims passing through this charming hub of Fauquier County on their way to see the Blue Ridge Mountains lit up in bright fall colors.  No ... the small talk around town is not about the weather come October.  It's about the immiment - thankfully not permanent - shuttering of Carousel Frozen Treats.

Carousel, or the Pink Palace as my wife and I call it, is a seasonal slice of heaven, offering the finest, most scrum-dilly-icious frozen custard during a period that runs from March 15th through the last Sunday in October.  A countdown clock is posted the last few weeks before shutdown time each year, reminding panicked locals that we have a shrinking window to enjoy our swirly cones and hand mixed milkshakes and homemade strawberry and fudge cake specials.  A nearby middle school - I love this - makes announcements as the middle of March approaches, telling kids they better not skip out of school early to go to Carousel.

Carousel is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and I recently met up with the two founders, Carl and Dennis, and the 'Big Cheese' as they affectionately call one of their key employees, Mary Ellen.  Check out my Qik video chat and tour with Dennis and Mary Ellen.  You'll get a close up of my taste testing their new corn dog, which is the best I've ever had (unfortunately, as new technology goes, the cell connection to my Nokia N95 blipped out right before I picked up my ice cream cone), and you'll get to meet a nice local couple, Ron and Diane, who didn't mind my interrupting their hot dog special order.  An ice cream joint first (frozen custard), Carousel also offers incredible hot dogs (spicy mustard and slaw on mine please), corn dogs (Wednesdays only) and sea salt fries that'll transport you back to your favorite beach boardwalk experience.

Carl confirmed what I knew from my ten years of passionate Carousel consumption, that they use only the best of the best ingredients.  I asked him if the soft economy is taking a bite, and he said to a degree.  But even with commodity/wholesale prices skyrocketing over the past year (a can of caramel flavoring, for example, has doubled in price), Carl and Dennis have decided not to pass those costs to their customers, hoping volume and happy consumers will make up for thinner margins.  I think they made the right decision, though, and I hesitate to say this, I'd pay almost anything they asked.  "That'll be thirty dollars for your ice cream cone, sir".  "Great!!" I'd exclaim, licking the custard furiously.  (less than three bucks gets you a tummy filling serving). 

Carousel, thanks to the passion and persistence and personality of its founders, has firmly rooted itself in my town.  It's one of those businesses on the short list of 'can't do without', and it's not just because everything tastes so out of this world.  It's not just because Carl and Dennis and Mary Ellen spent about two years testing various hot dogs to find one that met their standards. It's also because they've  infused the place with a laid back, family-friendly, retro, quirky atmosphere.  They have a bubble machine on the roof.  They play great music (50s tunes to modern toe tappers, lots of Elvis).  They have interesting and odd collectibles, like a vintage carousel with dancing puppets, and the actual piece of gum that substitued for a meal in the original Willy Wonka Movie (they got it on Ebay).  The place - all outdoor seating - is spotless.  The employees are fast and courteous (yes sir, yes ma'am).  Oh, and while we're on the employees ....

Carousel has a certain hazing ritual that all new employees must endure.  It involves the wearing of certain hats with, how shall I put it ... 'personality'.  The young man wearing the hot dog hat was kind enough to allow me to add to his humiliation by snapping his picture.  Carl said some 200 people applied to work this season, with only about 16 slots open.  I didn't ask if the employees get free frozen custard.  If so, I'd apply next year.

I could go on and on.  But you understand.  You have those favorite places you go, where the stuff is extra delicious, the people extra great, the service extra top notch, and the atmosphere so right down your alley.  Well, this is that sort of place for me and my wife, and for everyone we know, including our dog Emma (vanilla pup cup).  I could go on about how Carousel has a charitable side as well, but Carl and Dennis don't like to talk about that, so I won't.  In fact, they don't really like to toot their own horn at all, which goes against basic marketing principles.  It's just who they are, two decent guys who decided to pursue their dream, and thankfully, chose their hometown as the place to make it happen.  I can't point you to a website, because there isn't one right now (great location and word of mouth have done them well so far, but I'd love to see them capture and showcase the passion people have for their place on the web).  So if you're ever in Warrenton, Virginia, head down business 29 to 346 Waterloo Street, at the intersection of Rt. 211.  You can't miss it.  Look for the Pink Palace with the fountain and lots of happy, smiling people hanging out, chatting, and enjoying their fudgy, swirly, sprinkles-on-top serving of frozen custard heaven.  You'll probably see me there.

Gas Prices Changing Consumer Behavior: Some Shop Online, Others Buy Expensive Coffee Beans Pooped From the Asian Palm Civet

With all the talk about pump prices taking a big bite out of the consumer wallet, there's also opportunity when consumer habits start to change.  Two things jumped to my mind when gas prices approached four dollars a gallon a while back: 

1. consumers do the math now - I know I do - before driving extra miles to malls and big box stores to save money on purchases.  If you can stay close to home and 'shop local', you'll save enough on gas to help balance higher product prices.  Even if the gas savings to product price ration is even ... you'll save travel time at minimum.

2. internet shopping makes even more sense now.  If you can get a great price, the only math you need to do is compare shipping costs to gas and time spent shopping the brick and mortar route.

A New York Times article today, To Save Gas, Shoppers Stay Home and Click, highlights point number two.  It seems many retailers are seeing a jump in online sales:

A number of retailers — including Gap, Victoria’s Secret and J.C. Penney — are experiencing double-digit sales growth at their shopping Web sites, creating a surprising bright spot during an otherwise gloomy time for sales in brick-and-mortar stores.

One popular strategy for getting shoppers’ attention is offering free shipping, in contrast to many other businesses, like airlines, that are adding surcharges and other fees to offset their higher costs.

Businesses should always be looking for compelling ways to differentiate themselves.  If you're a small business owner trying to appeal to the cost-conscious consumer, high gas prices helps you build a compelling case to help convince local consumers to stay local and give your store a try.  A second differentiator should be customer service.  You couldn't compete on prices before, but you could out-serve the big stores.  If gas prices helps even the price difference for some, then make sure your service is the kind that will make people come back, even if gas prices drop to a buck.

There's another way to differentiate your business, and it has nothing to do with the savvy shopper looking to save a few bucks.   There's always a demand for high end products and services, even in a sluggish and spooky economy.  I noticed a press release earier in the week with a title that drew me in:  World's Most Expensive Coffee Beans to be Sold in Orlando.  Forbes picked up on it as well.  The Sol River Coffee Coffee House and Lounge in Orlando was announcing that it will carry Kopi Luwak coffee beans, for the eye-popping price of $179.95 per pound.

For those unaware of this extremely rare variety of coffee, Kopi Luwak beans get their reputation and special flavor through a very, very unusual process, as told in the press release:

They pass through the digestive system of a small mammal called the Asian Palm Civet, which is found on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi.   The creature eats red coffee cherries as part of its normal diet. The enzymes in the stomach of the civet add to the coffee's flavor through fermentation. The animal digests the outer skin of the coffee cherries. The undigested coffee beans are collected by natives and sold to dealers.

So these beans are basically hand picked from the poop of an animal, and solf for $180 bucks a pound.  A story like that creates a lot of buzz, which is what the owner of the Sol River Coffee House and Lounge is banking on.  Adam Dudley is offering a cup of the rare coffee for $30, swimming completely upstream in an economic environment that has prompted Starbucks to close 600 of its stores.  Dudley says on his website that the first batch of Kopi Luwak was brewed on Thursday.  No word yet on how many consumers have taken the bait.  But bold moves like this can work.  Businesses need to be 'Purple Cows' according to Seth Godin.  And if consumers see yours like just another black and white spotted cow in a huge field of cows ... you have more than gas prices to worry about.  Stand out, differentiate, give people a reason to do business with you, and when they do, make sure you provide radically superior service and products so they'll keep coming back, whether offline or online ... Brick or Click.   

**(gas prices photo courtesy of Nonnynu Blog)

Zappos! And the winner is ...

Zappos is having way too much fun. And it's nice to see a brand having just that. Check out the finalists and winner from Zappos' 'What's the Coolest Thing You Can Do With a Shoe' Youtube Video Contest. Winner is getting a $500 Zappos gift certificate, which I assume will be spent adding to a nice shoe collection. 

Ultimately, the winner always seems to be the customer when it comes to Zappos and its legendary focus on customer service.  From an Inc.com article/interview with CEO Tony Hsieh (pronounced 'shay'):

We interview people for culture fit. We want people who are passionate about what Zappos is about--service. I don't care if they're passionate about shoes.

Ka-zowy!! Apple sells One Million 3G iPhones in Three Days

It took Apple two and a half months to sell one million of its original iPhones after launch in 2007, but only three days to move a million of the new 3G iPhones.  Steve Jobs in today's press release:

"iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "It took 74 days to sell the first one million original iPhones, so the new iPhone 3G is clearly off to a great start around the world."

I rarely write about the iPhone and other Apple products, only because there are so many fan sites devoted to Apple out there.  But Apple surely defines what it means to inspire Consumer Passion.  Rarely do products consistently exceed the hype.  And in Apple's case, there's plenty of hype and mouth foaming leading up to launch days. 

Apple also announced this morning that consumers have downloaded more than ten million applications from its newly launched App Store, for use with iPhones and iPods.  More than 800 native applications are  available on the App Store, more than a quarter of them offered for free, and most priced less than $10.

The bottom line is the bottom line, and these numbers are stunning.  The iPhone is filling a void, one that brings a rich web experience to a mobile device.  I don't own an iPhone yet ... but I most surely will.  I use a Nokia N95, mainly for its amazing video streaming capabilities (which the iPhone lacks).  But the mobile web experience is not user friendly, and far from rich, on the N95.  If Apple adds a high quality camera with video streaming capability on its next version, it may take a lead in the mobile computing market that will be next to impossible to catch up to, even with all the blathering around the web about people having trouble activating, purchasing and upgrading on Friday.  We heard the same moanings a year ago when the first generation iPhone was launched, and consumers are more rabid than ever for Apple's masterpiece of mobile computing.  The groans will die down over the coming days, and millions more will join the ranks of Passionate iPhone Consumers.

Burger King Throws a Brand Gutter Ball

An extremely disturbing example of brand self-destruction popped out of my Google Reader this evening, by way of Brand Autopsy, which hands it off to the Idea Sanbox Blog and a post titled What Is Burger King Thinking.  You have to see this picture in close up detail, and read the breakdown, to believe it.  So  follow the Sanbox link to see what Burger King apparently thinks passes for humor on paper tray liners. Home of the Whopper ... or the evil pickle with an examination glove, an unworthy onion with his pants down, and veggie porn strewn on the floor?!?!?  Indeed, what is BK thinking.

Happy 50th Birthday, IHOP ... and a New Media Complaint

Today is the official birthday of The International House of Pancakes, founded in Southern California in 1958 (Al Lapin launched the first in Taluca Lake, CA) and name-shortened to IHOP in 1973.  Some stats to put IHOP's Come Hungry, Leave Happy slogan in perspective:  nearly 16 billion pancakes topped with more than 32 million gallons of syrup have been served over the past half century, and fans of IHOP's popular 'Never Empty' coffee pots have washed down enough Joe to require 74 million pounds of coffee beans.

IHOP has been in full marketing blitz mode this year to make the most of hitting the big Five-O.  It launched IHOPstuff.com to offer limited edition, vintage t-shirts and hats.  A consumer-generated contest that kicked off in May  prompted thousands of IHOP fans to share their favorite restaurant memories from the past 50 years, showcasing the role IHOP played in special ocassions and life events.  The winner of the national "It Happens at IHOP" contest - I believe this is just being announced today - is Scott Reader of Maple Shade, New Jersey, who shared his story of teaching a weekly "life skills" class at IHOP to his special needs class, where the students learn to engage in conversation with adults, order from the menu, and pay on their own.  Scott won a lifetime supply of free pancakes and a free trip for two to New York City to celebrate IHOP's birthday today. 

IHOP also launched the Discover America Road Tour earlier this summer, crossing the country to "celebrate two American classics -- pancakes and baseball".  An IHOP-branded RV is traveling more than 8,500 miles to visit Minor League Baseball parks in 27 cities.  The IHOP marketing team, with mascot, is in Indianapolis, Indiana today at Victory Field for an Indianapolis Indians AAA game.  There's an interactive map on the website where you can check to see if the RV is coming to your city and minor league ballpark.  It'll be travelling through the end of August, capping things off in Sacramento, CA.

Now, my wife and I are huge IHOP fans.  We ate at our local restaurant yesterday (I had a pancake combo), and always look forward to an IHOP visit.  Great food, bang for the buck and service.  My best friends daughter, age six, considers IHOP a 'fine dining' (5 stars).  As a social media enthusiast, I'm glad to see IHOP diving into the Web 2.0 waters with consumer generated contests and interactive digital content.  But here's my BIG GRIPE:  A prehistoric, 'old media' defensive attitude on the website.  IHOP requires you to fill out a media form to access simple items like images and logos, which are for 'working journalists only'.  As if my using a picture of yummy pancakes in a blog post praising IHOP will somehow infringe on their command and control structure.  The entire site is defensively built so you can't copy/paste something as minimal as the IHOP logo.  And the wording is such as to instill fear that if you even use information from the site (a press release???) without their permission, you are violating their terms.  So I'm off to Google Image Search to locate a logo to use in this post. 

Attention IHOP, some friendly advice from a fan ... get with the program.  Stop trying to control the  conversation.  Be a part of it, encourage it, respond to it whether it's good or bad.  And using social media is much more than implementing social media tools. It's about conversation, transparency,  openness and trust.  Follow the lead of numerous brands and make your media page friendly, with rich and accessible digital content at the ready - with welcome mat out - so anyone (yes, even bloggers) can quickly and easily access high quality logos, pictures and information to include in our posts.   One last suggestion - again, from a fan - you need a consumer feedback portal as well, one that's transparent, that enables commenting and rating and collaboration and 'co-creation', so we Passionate Consumers (and employees too) can make suggestions, offer feedback, and share innovative ideas.  Remember, this is 2008.  The consumer is in control, and he/she just happens to be a reporter as well.   So next time we visit your website and are Hungry, enable us to Leave Happy!

It's National Hot Dog Month ... Get With the Program!

In case you were in the dark, let me shed some light on one of the truly important things about the month of July:  It's National Hot Dog Month.  And in honor of the esteemed weiner, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council launched its new interactive Hot Dog City website last week at Hot-Dog.org.  It also launched a companion YouTube channel at Youtube.com/hotdogcouncil, so the many millions of Passionate Hot Dog Consumers can dig deeper into this food favorite. 

The big news recently was of course the annual dog eating contest at Nathan's Famous, won for the second time in a row by American (yes!) Joey Chestnut.  59 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, then a five dog tiebreaker to keep the coveted belt here in the States.  July 4th is traditionally the Hot Dogs biggest day in the spotlight (150 million consumed in the U.S.), and Americans will chow down on some 20 billion dogs this year alone.  Billion.

Hot-Dog.org has some fun and interesting stats, trivia, links and hot dog history, from the biggest hot dog consuming cities (#1 New York, #2 Los Angeles, #3 Baltimore/DC, #4 Philadelphia, #5 Chicago) to the fact that Jane Mansfield was named 'Miss Hot Dog Month' early in her career, and of course the famous line in Dirty Harry (1971, Clint Eastwood): "Nobody, I mean nobody, puts ketchup on a hot dog."

The black and white photo of the monster dog, held aloft by Dagwood, can be found on Hot-Dog.org's Historic Photo page, and is courtesy of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

7-Eleven stores are jumping on the Hot Dog Month bandwagon by offering quarter-pound Big Bite hot dog and Big Gulp drink for $1.99 throughout the month of July, a "real value at a time when consumers’ incomes may be stretched dog-gone thin" according to their press release.  And of course if you Google 'Hot Dog', the first link to come up is the Wikipedia page for hot dogs, where you can learn about the various claims to the origins of the beloved weiner.  And whether German immigrant Charles Feltman was the first (he began selling sausages in rolls on Coney Island around 1870), we give thanks, pay special tribute, and of course throw some extra dogs on the grill this month in honor of one of America's all-time favorite foods.

Your Duct Tape Story Could Win Five Grand

For the second year in a row, the Duck brand of duct tape is sponsoring a 'Saves The Day' promotion, awarding the person with the best story of how duct tape 'saved the day' $5,000 and a year's supply of Duck® brand duct tape.  Not sure how much duct tape the average person uses in a year, but five grand is five grand.

In 2007, more than 2,650 stories were entered from the U.S. and Canada, stories ranging from creating a makeshift nest to saving a family of birds to making emergency car repairs on a first date.  Emphasis will be put on creativity and original use of duct tape to 'save the day'.  In addition to the first place prize, ten additional winners will be chosen at random, receiving  $500 as well as a year's supply of tape.

If you're passionate about duct tape - and really, who hasn't been grateful for this sticky stuff of wonder - get your creative juices flowing and go to DuckTapeSavesTheDay.com for the skinny on rules and such.  The contest kicked off the first of July, and runs through the end of October.  The Duck brand of duct tape is made by Henkel, which has been around for about 130 years.  More info at DuckProducts.com.

Beware of Cow Crossing Friday - Cow Appreciation Day 2008 at Chick-fil-A

It's that time of year again, Chick-fil-A's annual 'Cow Appreciation Day', which will take place Friday, July 11th at all restaurant locations - some 1400 - nationwide.  The basic rules of engagement are as follows:

• You get 'bovined' up, dressing in some fashion as a cow
• Head to toe cow gear gets you a full combo meal
• Partial bovine dress - say a cow-spotted hat, scarf or other accessory, gets you an entree (sandwich sans the drink and waffle fries)

A lot of work and potential embarrassment for just a meal or sandwich you say?  Well, last year, the  Hendersonville, N.C. location was overrun by 350 cow-spotted customers from summer camps, daycares and preschools.  Another group - self dubbed "The Herd" (see my Qik interview of some of them at my local grand opening earlier this year) - made it their mission to visit 30 Chick-fil-A restaurants in one day, travelling from Knoxville, Tenn. to Atlanta, Ga. during the 2007 Cow Appreciation Day.

"Cow Appreciation Day is a great barometer of how passionate our customers are," said Steve Robinson, Chick-fil-A's senior vice president of marketing. "If you're willing to dress up like a cow for a free meal, you're obviously a loyal and even raving Chick-fil-A fan. While the event is a natural tie with our cow-themed marketing campaign, Cow Appreciation Day is intended to be a fun day to reward some of our most loyal customers with free food. We enjoy watching the event grow year after year."

This, friends, is what Consumer Passion is all about.  A free meal worth about six bucks is not the incentive to dress up (or dress your kids up) like a cow.  It's an opportunity to express your love and loyalty for an exceptional brand, in this case, Chick-fil-A.  Consumers are itching to reward great businesses with their dollars, their word of mouth praise, and their gratitude.  Brands that consistently deliver superior customer service and that 'special sauce' that consumers know when they experience it ... are rare ... but don't have to be.  Go to a Chick-fil-A this Friday and see what all the fuss is about.  And while you're there, enjoy some great food, great service, and the site of other customers getting goofy for a brand they adore.  For more info, visit CowAppreciationDay.com.