What’s your Ziggy?

I know they say you should never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry. I hope it’s OK to blog!

I’ve been daydreaming about a favorite ice cream shop where they offer every customer a Ziggy. You order your cone exactly as you want it, but they go one step further in serving it to you. Using a melon-baller-size scoop, they add just a little bit more to the top, a Ziggy. You can have one extra bite of your favorite, vanilla on top of vanilla for those who like to keep it simple, or you can satisfy your taste for that runner-up flavor that didn’t get picked this time as the main attraction —Mint Chocolate Chip on top of Elephant Tracks (peanut butter cups in chocolate ice cream), for example. Hypothetically, of course.

It small. It’s simple. It’s cheap. It’s fun. And it creates an experience —one that gets talked about, one that creates fondness and solidifies customer loyalty.

Well. That got me thinking about the barber shop that offers a coupon for a free tap beer at the pub next door with every purchase of a buzz cut, the landscape shop that always has fresh popcorn popping and the restaurant that brings Bazooka Joe bubble gum to the table at the end of the meal. Each creates the same result. Of course, nobody’s going to get a bad hair cut in exchange for a free beer (well, with a few exceptions). But, all things being equal, why wouldn’t you do business with the entrepreneur who adds a Ziggy to the mix?

So what’s your Ziggy?

You don’t need to be a retailer to have one. And, though all of the examples I've provided so far may be driven by my dropping blood sugar, a Ziggy doesn't have to be something you can eat.

Hosting a customer appreciation party at the local bowling alley is a Ziggy. Mailing valentine cards to everyone on your client list is a Ziggy. In fact, your Ziggy doesn’t even need to be a physical thing. You can attract or retain new clients because they find YOU compelling; you add a touch of fun or novelty to the transaction.

Here’s food for thought: Whenever, and however, you add value for the sheer joy of it, people will naturally be attracted to you and to your business. Get Ziggy with that!

The Next Big Thing: Brajackets and Bikevertising?

I just got turned on to an interesting website, one you’ll want to visit if you fancy yourself a bit of a futurist, are naturally curious about emerging trends, or are just looking for a breath of inspiration. Springwise and its global network of 8,000 spotters scan the globe for smart new business ideas and share them in easy-to-read snippets on the website.

As examples, the Marketing and Advertising portion of the Idea Database recently featured these trends:

• 3.5 billion wire hangers are tossed into landfills every year, and that's just in the United States. While the hangers are light, inexpensive and sturdy, they're not exactly bio-degradable. Hanger Network has developed an alternative: a dry cleaner's hanger made entirely from recycled paper. These EcoHangers are sturdy and cheap. And because they're paper, they can be completely covered in full-color advertising. Everybody wins: Hanger Network creates a media network of up to 3.5 billion in-home “views”, and advertisers gain valuable entry into consumers' bedrooms for less than the price of a stamp.

• Brajackets are one of the hottest new trends in Japan. Made from high-quality, coated paper that makes designs and colors pop, Brajackets offer consumers a free cover to keep their book nice and neat and come with a built-in bookmark. They offer advertisers a space to advertise that goes everywhere readers do. They're available for free from stands in bookstores. New designs come out a few times a month, and the most popular ones are gone in a matter of days.
  

The site also describes trends in bikevertising (messages placed on fenders and mudguards of bicycles), sympvertising (infusing consumer advertising with a pinch of sympathy that acknowledges the tougher times most consumers are currently experiencing) and even passout marketing (adding branding to the handstamps applied to nightclub patrons).

While it might not be appropriate or practical to jump on one of these bandwagons, you might just discover a gem that serves as a springboard for something that does fit your business.