The Cost of a Burrito

For the past 5 years it has become an annual tradition of mine and many of my friends to wrap ourselves up in tinfoil and visit a nearby Chipotle (or two). Every Halloween, Chipotle offers all customers a free burrito for wearing their best tinfoil costumes, which is what their famous burritos are wrapped in.

While waiting in line, a common discussion often arises to the total national cost to Chipotle of having a free burrito night. A lot of people wonder if the profits can really outweigh the costs to giving away so much free food, but I have no doubt that this day is gold for Chipotle.

• Chipotle kills at word of mouth advertising. Literally thousands of people will line up today for a free burrito and many will be there because their friends told them. Chipotle buys little traditional advertising because they don't need to - their tinfoil-wrapped customers are walking advertisements. When people drive by a Chipotle and see a line of strangely dressed people streaming out the door, they are intrigued and tell others. Facebook fan pages and event invites, personal blogs, and twitter will all be buzzing simply because Chipotle is doing something different and exciting.

What things have you done with your brand to create excitement that spreads like wildfire through word of mouth?

• Chipotle has created an experience. Standing in line with 200 people dressed in tinfoil not only creates a memorable visual experience for people, but it brings strangers together under a unifying idea (we all like free food and an excuse to do something crazy!). The tinfoil costumes become elaborate providing more fun and excitement to the whole event.

Do your customers leave with an experience they want again and again?

• Not only do people get excited around Halloween, but people associate Chipotle with giving away free food. When a new restaurant opens, they often give away free burritos. A friend of mine told me that he once forgot his wallet, and the manager quickly responded, "Don't worry about it, it's on me." The brand has created fierce customer loyalty that extends throughout the year.

Are you treating your customers differently than your competitors?

Fake Jobs Facebook Confuses Employees

There's a new fake Steve Jobs facebook account out! Or, we think it's fake. Everything's right, except he uses an exclamation point in the "about me" section, which is so not Jobs-y. Plus he's not friends with his wife or daughter, or even part of the apple network. Suspicious.

The obvious fakeness hasn't stopped seventy-five employees from friending him, presumably in the hopes that it's real. Looks like they aren't friends with the the real Steve Jobs on facebook. Sad!

Steve Jobs: The Rumors Continue.

The silicon valley paparazzi took this picture of Steve Jobs' car, parked directly next to, but not in, the handicapped spot. He is allowed to park handicapped if he wants, so why the regular spot?

The rumor is that Mr. Jobs is no longer allowed to park handicapped by his PR staff, because it's a sign of weakness, which could mess up Apples stocks again. (Apple news or Daily Axioms followers will remember that a false internet rumor about Jobs in the hospital caused apple stocks to plummet.)

Our theories? 1. Someone else was driving his car 2. It's not his car 3. He didn't care since it's probably a 2-foot difference between handicapped and regular.

Follow the link for a caption contest! (Valleywag)

Less Is More

Hulu figured something out: it's better to have a few ads than to have a ton. Having a small number of ads makes people more likely to notice them, and less likely to find them annoying. Advertisers, in turn, will pay more for this lack of competition.

Maybe TV will learn a lesson from Hulu? With a crashing market economy, the economic gap will only widen. The successful corporations will have less competition and more money to do with as they choose, such as sponsoring a TV show. You know how sometimes a network will show a movie commercial-free "brought to you by"? It almost inspires a sense of gratitude that the company is saving you from an onslaught of advertising. If this is the future, I look forward to it.

Online vs. Real Friends - Is There A Difference?

I enjoy following people's blogs and Twitter accounts. After reading what they have to say for a while, I get a sense of their language, attitudes, personality, and interests. As social media becomes more and more transparent, people have stopped hiding behind screen names and have begun branding themselves and their real names with what they talk about. Even the accounts on Twitter that are under a brand name are often run by a real person who is open about who they are.

The relationships that get built online can feel very real and genuine. We regularly talk to that person and share ideas, but how well does the relationship translate to real life? What would it be like to meet one of your Twitter friends on the street? Would you have things to talk about or would things feel odd? How different are online relationships compared to those you can make physical contact with? My suspicion is that in some cases, some who are real-life introverts feel more free to be social butterflies online. While not a bad thing, there has to be some difference between online and real world presence and relationships.

Seth Godin talked recently about how he has built relationships online with people who he has never met, yet could ask to crash at their house for a few days if he was in the area. Would you go out of your way for your online relationships? Have you done anything tangible to show that you are making an effort to connect not just in the online world, but the real one? Quality, and not always quantity makes more of a difference in online relationships, no matter how transparent and real you are.