MARKETING LAGNIAPPE
IN SEARCH OF YOUR PURPLE GOLDFISH

Are you ready?
On your mark, get set . . .

Reasons
you need
to consider
MARKETING
LAGNIAPPE

R
E
T
S
U
B
H
T
Y
M
MYTH: There is no such thing as
‘meeting expectations’ . . .
you either exceed customer expectations . . .
or you fall short

We live in a world where
60-80% of customers
describe their
customer satisfaction
as ‘satisfied’ or
‘very satisfied’ before
going on to defect to
other brands
[Source: PMA]

Satisfied Customers
Tell Three Friends,
But Angry Customers
TELL 3,000 [Source: Pete Blackshaw]

Look over your shoulder,
your competition is only a
click away

So - what the heck is
lagniappe?

FIRST THING FIRST: PRONUNCIATION
PHONETICALLY SPEAKING IT’S PRONOUNCED
‘LANN - YAP’

NEXT: ORIGIN
“We picked up one excellent word–a
word worth traveling to New Orleans
to get; a nice limber, expressive, handy
word–’lagniappe.’ It is Spanish–so they
said. We discovered it at the head of a
column of odds and ends in the
Picayune, the first day; heard twenty
people use it the second; inquired what
it meant the third; adopted it and got
facility in swinging it the fourth.
It has a restricted meaning, but I think
the people spread it out a little when
they choose. It is the equivalent of the
thirteenth roll in a ‘baker’s dozen.’ It is
something thrown in, gratis, for good
measure”
- Mark Twain
Life on the Mississippi 1883

So - is it just a
‘bakers dozen’?

BAKER’S DOZEN
IS NOT
LAGNIAPPE
The expression “baker’s
dozen” dates to the 13th
century England.
To guard against the
punishment of losing a
hand to an axe, a baker
would give 13 for the
price of 12, to be certain
of not being known as a
cheat.
Source: Wikipedia

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Start with the While driving through France a few years ago, my family and I
were enchanted by the hundreds of storybook cows grazing in
lovely pastures right next to the road. We all gazed out the
Purple Cow window, marveling at the beauty. Then, within a few
minutes, we started ignoring the cows. The new cows were
just like the old cows, and what was once amazing was now
common. Worse than common: It was boring.
Cows, after you’ve seen them for a while, are boring. They may
be well-bred cows, Six Sigma cows, cows lit by a beautiful light,
but they are still boring. A Purple Cow, though: Now, that would
really stand out. The essence of the Purple Cow — the reason it
would shine among a crowd of perfectly competent, even
undeniably excellent cows — is that it would be remarkable.
Something remarkable is worth talking about, worth paying
attention to. Boring stuff quickly becomes invisible.
- SETH GODIN
Purple Cow 1999

PURPLE = DIFFERENTIATION
How do you differentiate yourself?
What makes you or how you do business remarkable?

Now the
Goldfish

The growth of a goldfish
(ie. your business/product)
is affected by four things:

1. the size of
their habitat

1. the size of
their habitat
(market size)

2. the number of goldfish
in the same habitat

2. the number of goldfish
in the same habitat
(competition)

3. the quality of the water

3. the quality of the water
(business environment / economy)

4. their genetic makeup

You have little or no control over market size, your
competition or the business environment
The one thing you have 100% control over is how you
differentiate your product or service . . . your purple goldfish

Here are the four
main ingredients:

1. Unexpected - the extra benefit or gift
should be a surprise. It is something
thrown in for good measure.

1. Unexpected - the extra benefit or gift
should be a surprise. It is something
thrown in for good measure.
Think ‘surprise and delight’

2. Relevant - the item or
benefit should be of value
to the recipient. Make
sure that the item or
service is a true benefit.

2. Relevant - the item or
benefit should be of value
to the recipient. Make
sure that the item or
service is a true benefit.
It shouldn’t be a one size
fits all proposition

3. Unique - if it’s a small token
or gift, try to select something
that’s rare, hard to find or
unique to your business.

3. Unique - if it’s a small token
or gift, try to select something
that’s rare, hard to find or
unique to your business.
Think ‘signature’

4. Authentic - many
times it comes down to
the gesture. It becomes
more about ‘how’ it is
given, as opposed to
‘what’ is given.

4. Authentic - many
times it comes down to
the gesture. It becomes
more about ‘how’ it is
given, as opposed to
‘what’ is given.
The small gift or extra
communicates you care

Lagniappe is
relevant now
because . . .
The Information Age
is now the
Recommendation Age

You need
to get
people
talking
about
your
products
or service

Personal recommendations Think about your entire history of relationships… Every
person you dated long term, short term, prison term,
and every random hook-up in between. The vast
are trusted 90% of the time majority of those relationships were with someone you
met through a common friend. Very rarely do you find a
couple who met randomly at a bar. Most couples met
[Source: Nielsen Survey] through a friend, a friend of a friend, or a relative. The
reason most relationships begin this way is what I call
the “V4 Principle.”
“V4″ is short for “Vouch For” and it is this reason that
the majority of people in America get laid. Say you’re
out on a Friday night and you see a cute brunette at the
bar. You approach her, make small talk, and attempt to
pick her up. To you she’s a hottie with dating potential.
To her you’re just another one of the drunken masses
out there trying to score some. Now take the same
situation as before, but when you see her at the bar
she is talking to your best friend’s girlfriend. Now when
you approach you’re SOMEBODY as opposed to the
NOBODY you were before. The girl at the bar has a
reference point for you and your best friend’s girlfriend
is there to vouch for you: “Oh, that’s Fred. He’s Mike’s
best friend. They work together at the law firm. He’s a
real sweetie, and he’s sooo cute when he’s drunk.” See
how it works? You’re the same drunken ass either way,
but now you’re perceived as charming.
Source: Sportibikes.net

4 Companies that are
getting it right

Free use of change
machine for everyone

FR EE

No
for char
bag ge
s

When a customer
spends $100 or more
on groceries, the
register “Moos”
and the customer is
rewarded with a
free ice cream or
cup of coffee

The underlying reason for
marketing lagniappe is that you need to go
above and beyond by giving a little extra . . .

The net
effect is
two-fold:

2. They tell others about their experience
to promote your product or service both
online and offline

For more about ‘marketing lagniappe’ and
the search for your purple goldfish . . .
Subscribe to the blog @9INCHmarketing.com
Follow me on twitter @9INCHmarketing
sphelps@synergyevents.com
Look for the book coming in 2010 . . .
More info @marketinglagniappe.com
THE AVERAGE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BRAIN AND THE HEART IS 9 INCHES