I love things that are different. It means someone made some decision with intention that would separate them from the crowd. Bubbies Ice Cream in Hawaii is a great example of thinking outside of the ice box.
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| Meet Mochi |
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| Bubbies in Honolulu |
Take ice cream stores, for example. How many blah blah blah ice cream parlors have you ever visited with the same old, same old? Boring. Usually these stores are cookie-cutter versions of each other without anything truly special. They are generally uninteresting and not remarkable. Remarkable should be the goal- to get people to remark about your brand.
Then there is Bubbies.
On my recent holiday in Hawaii, my daughter Sarah insisted that we take a trip to Bubbies. I told her that as much as I love ice cream, stores like this can be so uninteresting to me. But she insisted that it was truly different in ways that delighted her. She told me this was a remarkable ice cream store, Remarkable and ice cream are 3 of my favorite words to find in a sentence. (toaster is another favorite but that is another story).
After dropping off my younger daughter at the airport, we decided to swing by Bubbies for a treat. Although I wanted frozen yogurt, Sarah told me that Bubbies is so popular, that there would be a line outside demonstrating how popular it was with Honoluluians. (I made up that word).
I was surprised to see a line since Honolulu has over one hundred ice cream and/or yogurt outlets that I could find online.
What was so special?
Well, let me introduce you to the mochi.
Hint: Here comes the marketing lesson. These folks created something that no one else makes or sells.
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| Mochi Mint Chip- Taste like a frozen girl scout cookie |
They invented something funky, fun and worth sharing with others. These egg sized mounds of ice cream are coated with something akin to a Mallomars or a cake fondant. I was having difficulty naming the texture which was very different but pure frozen yumminess. Upon further research, the Japanese make something called mochi, a rice cake that often comes in this oval shape. However, I think the product called mochis are novel.
Other flavors include a coconut center with chocolate coating (think Almond Joy), a peanut butter ice cream with a milk chocolate exterior (think Reese Cup) and exotic choices like passion fruit and green tea too. Here is a listing of all their flavors.
Ice Cream Cakes Too
Besides these spheres of joy, they also have wonderful ice cream cakes with names that give this store something unique to market like Prisoner of My Mind, Functioning Prostate, Buffy’s Aural Massage and The First Night.
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| Ice Cream Cakes from Bubbies |
Their ice cream that can be scooped into cones was incredibly good and a satisfying compliment to the exotic mochis and the ice cream cakes. I had a scoop of espresso that was a real wake up call. Intense, creamy, rich and sweet- like me. But make no mistake, the mochis are the star of this sweet show.
The Marketing Lesson
So here is the scoop, if you are opening up a little retail shop or going into business marketing a product or service— make it stand out from the rest. Don’t do what everyone else does or the market will yawn.
Find some creative and inspired way to package up the service or product in a playful and meaningful way that freezes out the competition. Make your product, service or brand something that people want to share with friends. Find a meaningful difference and distinction so you aren’t blending into the category but standing out from the crowd.
If you want to cream the competition, don’t be vanilla.
