Once in a while there comes a retail experience that is so insanly loved that a line forms from the cash register out the door and around the block. The new Halo 3 release, Krispy Kreme donuts, the Apple iPhone and the latest to take over LA is a chain of yogurt shops that go by the name Pinkberry. The stores have a modern Philippe Starck and Le Klint designer vibe, cool furniture and pulsing electronic music. The energy is young, hip and gives off the feeling like it's the only place to be. The place offers only 2 flavors but, a myriad of toppings to make it yours. The store has been hugly successful and there are numerous interested parties willing to pay $40,000 upfront franchise fee for the rights to sell the treat - then kick in 7% of monthly sales (a 5% royalty fee, recently upped from 3%, plus 2% for marketing).
What does this mean and where am I going with this? Well, I remember a time not so long ago when Regan was in office, Madonna was shocking us for the first time and we had a daily ritual of jamming down to Penguins Yogurt for a vanilla yogurt mixed with chocolate brownies. The place was standing room only and it was always worth the wait. People were clearly addicted to whatever they served up and the brand was an exceptional winner. Not only was the yogurt good but, the way that the company communicated with the consumer was really the amazing part. Mendelson & Zion, a Los Angeles based ad agency, created these simple black and white print ads that had clever headlines set in Futura Bold and got your attention using wit and charm.
How does a brand loved by many lose it's edge and marketshare when it's the dominent player on the block? Curious about this, I visited both. Where Pinkberry is vibrant, fun and engaging with young people all buzzing about eating yogurt like it's insulin - Penguin's is trapped in this strange 80's time wrap and has not progressed at all as a branded retail experience. The layout, decor and product is exactly where I left it back in the 80's. Sad.
Being that I was a big fan of the company and saw, first hand the power of brillant copy writing, it's beyond unfortunate when a brand leader like this falls alsleep at the cash register. All one has to do is visit their prospective web sites to witness first hand how bad the disparity is between crazy good and crazy bland. Penguin's site looks as if it was made 40 seconds after Al Gore invented the internet. It's boring, flat and lifeless. There is no store locator (wha..?) and it made my head hurt looking at the tired layout the left no impression on me what so ever. The Pinkberry site was clean and airy. It has a music player that plays PinkB tunes and the site gives you a full download about the wheres and whats. Nice and simple and you get a real feel for the brand.
A great case study in what can go wrong when a company allows it's brand to slip and become staganent even though it has everything going for it.
