Purple Cow (24 page)

Needless to say, my friend is a frequent customer.

 

There is a store in Canada that has managed to silence my husband Ted’s usual rant about poor service and shoddy products: Lee Valley Tools. Ted IS a tool freak, no doubt about it, but there are numerous tool stores out there that he walks right past without a first glance, never mind a second. So what has Lee Valley Tools done to win this shop-a-phobic’s loyalty? Lee Valley (real aficionados don’t need to add the word “tools”) does not pack its wares onto the shelf like sardines in a can. There is one example of each, with actual space around it so you can admire it like a painting in a gallery. To purchase one, you approach the order desk. Service is consistently friendly and helpful, even on the phone. In the store, “associates” do not hightail out of your sight if they sense an impending query. Online orders appear at your door in short order with very reasonable shipping costs, and the gorgeous full-color catalogues bring a smile of pleasure to Ted’s face rather than a grimace of disgust for the landfill space they will demand. Lee Valley doesn’t have customers, it has a tribe.

 

Howies clothing (
http://www.howies.co.uk/
) is a truly remarkable organization. It makes and sells clothes. But it provides brainfood. Howies partners with charities, views its business through truly sustainable eyes, and makes the most beautiful brochures I have ever seen. The reason it can do this is because it understands its customers. It also understands they care about the future of surfing, the battle for clean beaches, the world’s coolest skate parks, sustainable organizations, ethical supply chains ... you get the picture. Howies is one of the few organizations that manage to completely personalize its company by making every employee “the brand”: they photograph the stories for the catalogue. They write the blog. They hold charity debates in their local stores. Howies features its product by showcasing it in a world its customers care about. But it does this from the roots of the company, not just out of the marketing department. And although it shouldn’t be, that is still pretty remarkable.

 

In case you haven’t heard, Kentucky Fried Chicken is filling potholes in exchange for stamping its logo over-top the freshly poured pavement. The chicken monger has given new meaning to guerrilla marketing. For a mere $3,000, KFC can help a troubled locality with a true public service by filling 350 potholes, while simultaneously promoting its business through a unique impression by chalk stencil. Brilliant! On the flip side, what can $3,000 of traditional advertising gain you? In my world, that equates to a thirty-second blip on prime-time television. It might buy a month’s rent on a billboard in an area of town where you wouldn’t feel safe or you have to break your neck to see. Or it could buy a semiflashy Web site or a D rated actor to say your name. In other words, not much. But what can a little creativity combined with public service get you? I say a campaign that is worthy of an official salute to a Colonel.

 

A tiny but powerful example: I work in the suburbs of DC, in Bethesda, MD. Everywhere, there are parking meters and everywhere, there are very enthusiastic city-employed staff writing tickets. So when you park, you’d better find change. The only problem is, if you don’t have change, you’re out of luck. Many businesses refuse to give change, and some have gone so far as to post signs attesting to the fact. Then there is Limon’s Gems and Jewels. They have a sign that says “We will gladly make change for the parking meters.” What a pleasant shock. I love this for attracting goodwill—and browsers and sales.

 

Rice To Riches, a rice pudding parlor in New York’s SoHo, has not only come up with something different, they’ve also answered the business problem of the ice cream parlor. While ice cream has a spring/summer peak season, rice pudding is a comfort sweet all year long. You will find them packed in December as well as June. When you walk in the door you are greeted with motivational signage, such as “I’ll diet when the Earth runs out of food” and “Give me rice pudding or give me death.” Over the counter is the helpful menu sign “We sell Rice Pudding, if you don’t want that, you can have Rice Pudding, and if you don’t want that, you can have Rice Pudding.” However, they don’t just serve normal rice pudding. Taking their cue from Ben and Jerry’s, they have flavors like “The milk chocolate only rings twice,” “Take me to Tiramisu,” and “Rest in Peach” and you can add all your favorite toppings.

 

Most skateboards are about 33”. Longboards are becoming popular and they can hit 48”. But a Hamboard is another world altogether. Pete Hamborg created a skateboard that is 80” in length and 15” in width. It is the supertanker of skateboards. The ride is absolutely amazing—very different from any other type of skateboard. Wherever you go on a Hamboard, people’s jaws drop—and the first question they ask is “Where did you get that?” Hamborg has spent years perfecting the look and ride of his unique skateboard. But he didn’t start with oodles of cash. He has built his business methodically. Helping him out are his five sons, who cruise around their hometown of Huntington Beach [CA] spreading the stoke. Hamboards are proof that if you think really big, you can create something truly remarkable.

 

www.buttonsofhope.com
is a very forward-thinking and amazing entrepreneurship. This company produces photo buttons. Anyone can design a button pin using any photo and text they want. It is a wonderful way for someone to make any event more personal. The founder, Michael Gibbons, is very kind, and it shows not only in the way he packages and promptly ships your loved one’s photo button(s). He has a lot of great ideas, is always willing to go the extra mile to help in any way he can, and offers discounts for bulk orders. And no matter what size the order, for each button ordered $1 is donated to a charity of your choice, choice being the key word—if a charity is not on their list, just let Buttons of Hope know of your charity and how to donate and they will get the funds to them. The ideas for these buttons are endless—anyone trying to fundraise who wants to pay tribute to a loved one, fans of a local school team who want to show support for a particular player or team, or even someone who wants to show their thanks to someone in a unique way can do so with these buttons and support a charity at the same time!!

 

DeviantArt.com
, currently the world’s largest online artist community of approximately 10 million members, exhibits artists’ masterpieces and caters to their need of sharing knowledge, gaining experience, and forming bonds. It is one of few places where artists can feel celebrated, empowered, and even nurtured. For artists, DeviantArt is no less than a second home. What makes DeviantArt outstandingly remarkable is its reaction towards every single voice of the community. DeviantArt assembles the community, and the community builds DeviantArt. The founding team, together with founder/CEO Angelo Sotira, has dedicated a few years without paychecks in order to kick-start the community. Most important and impressive, the staff, including Angelo himself, meets members around the world in person through the DeviantArt World Tour. It is my belief, and I believe that of many, that the world of artists will not be the same without DeviantArt.

 

What can be more important in this country than “eliminating educational inequity by enlisting our nation’s most promising future leaders in the effort”? This is the mission statement from TEACH for AMERICA founded by Wendy Kopp, CEO & Founder. In 1990, the first year, 500 men and women began teaching in 6 low-income communities across the country. Today, there are 6,200 corps members in 29 locations, with more than 14,000 TEA alumni. Nearly 3 million students have been reached since the inception!

 

www.happycow.net
is a great site that directs you to find vegan or vegetarian-friendly restaurants and health-food stores anywhere in the world. Being a long-time vegetarian and now vegan (mostly raw), I have used it frequently, in doing research for trips and also in looking at potential places to live. Absolute must resource guide for vegetarians and health-conscious peeps!

 

The Concord Free Press (
www.concordfreepress.com
) is a new concept in publishing. The press publishes two titles a year and two thousand copies of each title. Then they give all four thousand copies away—for free. The point? Simply “to re-conceptualize the very goals of publishing.” The concept is based on ideals dating back to the 60s. Stona Fitch, the publisher, sited the Diggers at a reading of Wesley Brown’s latest title,
Push Comes to
Shove.
The bookis free, but you are then asked to make a contribution to your favorite charity. Their two titles have raised over $44,000 in the first six months of business. But that is not the end of the story. Since the titles are limited in run and two thousand copies is a fairly small edition, each author is free to publish the same title with a larger publisher that might actually be able to turn the book into a more popular title. Weird? I think not. The author gets a shot at two thousand more eyeballs seeing their work than they would have otherwise. Buzz has an opportunity to develop. A lost jewel might just find an audience.

 

Most clothes are designed with no regard for function, and the few that are designed for function seem to flaunt their disregard for fashion. Not so with Icebreaker, which does one thing and only one thing: makes remarkable clothes from the finest merino wool in the world. Their clothes have simple designs, are cut to flatter the wearer, and come in a wide variety of modern styles. The high-quality wool means that they don’t smell bad even after you’ve been trekking for six days without changing, and they keep you warm when it’s cool and cool when it’s hot. The shirts are so versatile and pleasant to wear that I replaced my entire shirt wardrobe with just three Icebreaker shirts.

 

One organization that stands out in my mind each time someone asks about community givers is Cup of Cool Water, located in Spokane, Washington. They take care of the homeless, ages 13-17. When we think of homeless people, we tend to think of adults. This organization has created a little niche on the streets of Spokane to feed, nurture, and teach the area’s homeless youth. Each day they welcome in kids who need guidance, warmth, nutrition, and, most of all, a healthy relationship with people they can trust and rely on.

 

I love:
http://www.cakespy.com
WHY?
Original.
Charming.
Uplifting.
Artistic.
Funny.
They don’t take themselves seriously.
They promote others happily.
Sort of educational.
And I love “the cakespy.”

 

Penzey’s Spices pack a punch, but it’s the Penzey’s catalogue and
penzeys.com
site that truly piles on the flavor. Their colorful (and downloadable) catalogue provides alluring mini-histories of spices, along with personal well wishes from the company president. Penzey’s is rolling their great food stories and recipes from their
Penzey’s
One magazine into their already great catalogue. They have excellent gift boxes of intriguing spice combinations. Everything we’ve ever ordered has come on time, as ordered (and they always throw in a free spice with each order!). From rare saffrons to the basic salts, Penzey’s has it, and they’ll get it to you quickly and graciously.

 

Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D., is a renegade. She is internationally known for her visionary, empowering approach to healing addiction, obesity, and other physical and emotional issues through dietary change. She is the world’s leading expert on sugar sensitivity, pioneering the concept and initiating the field of addictive nutrition. The author of
Potatoes, Not Prozac
and other books, she has changed the world by challenging conventional thinking in the field of medical research: DesMaisons spent years painstakingly connecting the results of hundreds of scientific studies across a number of domains that took on new meaning through the theoretical lens she provides. DesMaisons’s program has gained national attention due to its unparalleled 92% success rate with alcoholics and its innovative combination of medical and holistic approaches. She leads a highly active, international community at
www.radiantrecovery.com
that maintains more than 150 e-mail support lists, a community forum with tens of thousands daily online, and dozens of volunteer ambassadors who moderate the lists and welcome newcomers.