I was in the local supermarket last week and noticed that a brand of ice cream was promoting a new flavour called “Madagascan Vanilla.”
Really?
I didn’t know that the beautiful island of Madagascar had special vanilla that was better than the usual.
I didn’t buy it (it was much costlier than the usual garden variety vanilla), and I doubt that it tastes much different.
There’s a temptation sometimes to give something an exotic name when the contents aren’t really that special.
The problem with this strategy is that when the buyer opens the box and tries the product, if all they get is over-priced vanilla, they aren’t coming back for more.
And they won’t trust you in the future, no matter what you’re promising.
So perhaps, instead of trying to find a catchy title to market what you do, spend your energies on what’s inside the box.
Make your product, service, contribution, art or performance so compelling and brilliant that people will come back for more and bring their friends with them.
Instead of trying to trick people into buying from you once, give them a reason to buy from you again.
Stand out from the crowd, not because you have a lemur on the front, but because you are so much better than everyone else in your field it’s extraordinary.
Vanilla is always vanilla, not matter how you brand it.
And phenomenal is always phenomenal, and will make your personal brand worth something!
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October 10, 2013 at 8:10 am
Juan J. San Mames
Finally some common sense. You are absolutely right: there is no difference between vanilla planifolia (the true vanilla) grown in Madagascar or grown in PNG, they all have the same Mexican mother and she is the most aromatic. They all come originally from Mexican cuts and were transplanted to Madagascar, Reunion, Indonesia, PNG all over the world where vanilla beans are grown. (Tahitensis is a subspecies with little vanillin count and notes of heliotropin). The quality of vanilla is based on the amount of vanillin it contains in the pod and it can be measured with a spectrometer machine. (The same with saffron it does not matter where it is grown it is about how is “cure/dry” and it’s quality can be measured with photospectrometer). If the vanilla bean has been cut when yellow at the lower tip (fully matured) and properly “dry/cured”, it will yield a higher count of vanillin, ranging .21 to .25+. This vanilla bean will make an excellent candidate for all around baking in is natural form (bean) and excellent extract.
Juan J. San Mames, President
Vanilla, Saffron Imports
saffron@saffron.com
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October 12, 2013 at 9:14 pm
Darren Poke
Thanks Juan, I appreciate your detailed response
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