The Exclusivity of Butterbeer

Florida or Bust
Orlando, Florida is the only place on Earth in which you can buy a glass of official Butterbeer, the imaginary drink that author J.K. Rowling wrote about in each of the seven Harry Potter books. You can only buy Butterbeer at Universal Studio's "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" exhibit, part of Universal's "Islands of Adventure" theme park.

Rowling was personally involved with the creation of the recipe for Butterbeer. Certainly, she and her business partners had offers to license the product and sell it online and in stores around the world, but she declined all offers in an attempt to make the theme park the only place in which the drink can be bought.

In doing so, Universal Studios has created exclusivity for Butterbeer. If you want some, you're going to have to go to Orlando to get it.

If You Brew It, They Will Come
Having a product or service that is exclusive to your business is a very powerful word of mouth marketing tool. It gives people something to talk about. The exclusive thing that you offer doesn't need to be referenced in the best selling series of books of all time; it just has to be memorable and great within your product/service category or your location. Maybe the dessert your restaurant offers is one-of-a-kind in name and taste. Or, your oil change business is the only one in town with massage chairs in its waiting area. No matter how big or small, an exclusive, desirable product or service offering will generate great results for your business.

Add This To Your To-Do List
What is your business known for? If you don't sell the most unique product or service in your category, you can always find some small way to do something a little different to get people talking about you. Do some brainstorming — start small and see where your ideas take you.

There's never a lack of ideas.

PS Butterbeer is absolutely fantastic. It tastes like butterscotch root beer with a creamy, delicious, foam head on it. Congratulations and thanks to all those involved in its creation!

Comments

  1. JSAugust 18, 2010

    So, how did that scarf feel in 90+ degrees and 100%+ humidity?

    ReplyDelete
  2. ScottAugust 18, 2010

    Also the only place you can get a wand made at Olivander's just for you, right?

    ReplyDelete
  3. KellyAugust 18, 2010

    Love that photo of you in Harry Potter's world! You fit right in!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lil KruAugust 18, 2010

    Yum! Sounds good! Hope you had a bloody good time in Harry Potter land!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nick SAugust 18, 2010

    Thanks for all the comments, friends. I couldn't even feel the heat as I gulped down the delicious, refreshing Butterbeer. And yes, Scott, I believe the wand fitting is exclusive as well. Great point.

    And to Kelly and Jill, we did, indeed, have a bloody good time. There were so many people in costumes. I loved it!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Porta Potties: Hilarious Product Names

Image
I think the most entertaining product names in any one industry belong to the portable toilet industry. Porta potty names are hilarious! Here are eleven real portable toilet companies I found: The Honey Bucket Johnny on the Spot A Royal Flush Honey Do's Gotta Go Don John's Super Loo Pit Stop Pot-O-Gold Oui Oui (my favorite name) Floaters (slogan: "You Float 'm, We Tote 'm") See how much I love my readers? I researched porta potties for a long time to find these companies. You're welcome! Add This To Your To-Do List Am I right? Are porta potty names the most entertaining? Or is there another industry with even better names? It just goes to show you — sometimes the stinkier the industry, the better you'll stand out with a clever name. There's never a lack of ideas. PS If you're in the mood to see some hilarious slogans from septic tank businesses, check out this Reddit .
Read more

Only Old People Choose Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Image
Adapt or Die   Those who know me best often hear me proclaim my theory that only old people choose to eat butter pecan ice cream. Oh sure, some younger people enjoy its taste, but nobody under the age of 55 ever goes to the grocery store or Baskin Robins and buys butter pecan ice cream. The flavor is simply outdated. What does this mean for ice cream manufacturers? It means they should keep producing the flavor to satisfy current demand, but they had better create new flavors to adapt to changing tastes. That’s why they’ve created flavors like French silk and cookie dough — flavors that didn’t exist 15 years ago. In short, they adapt or die. Add This To Your To-Do List Have you taken a good look at your products or services lately? Are you still investing heavily in butter pecan ice cream and counting on it being your best seller for years to come? If so, you need to invest in innovation as quickly as possible. It could be as simple as offering new items on your menu, new s...
Read more

How to Advertise Your High School Reunion

Image
Welcome Back, Cotter Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time helping to advertise my upcoming high school reunion. For those of us who went to school before Facebook was around, this can be a challenging thing to do – especially with a graduating senior class of 900 students. Information hub. Create a website with a simple URL so that it can be easily referenced in all of your communications. Include all information about the reunion on that website – it will serve as your information hub. You will only have to update information in one place if you consistently refer your classmates to this website for information. Here’s an example . Share your URL with your school. Share the URL of your website with your high school so that they can post it on their website. School marquis. Ask to have the URL of your website placed on the marquis outside of your school for a week during the summer. Not much else goes on during the summer, anyway, so your school will probably be eager to put up ...
Read more