Would you like a popsicle with your new electric drill?

I want to open this article up to you, the reader. Think of this read as a break from the lecturing and issue-telling encompassing the art and craft of journalism. Let this discussion be conversational rather than editorial.popsicls

While reading over conversations on my favorite time-killing website (other than Tonic.com), I came across a very simple question in a business article entitled “It’s hot in Virginia!” The writer's question was simple: What are you doing that is really crazy or different then your competition? His ingenuous response to the question he posed: give away free snow cones in the dead of summer to your customers (mind you, the snow cone sponsor is a printing company).

What a great topic for conversation in an economy of innovative thinking and customer engagement. Last summer, I worked for a company that swore by purchasing popsicles any day the weather broke the 100-degree barrier. It was maybe three weeks into my internship that a client walked into our office and saw nothing but red, green, orange and purple lips, a trashcan full of Popsicle sticks and a freezer full of push-ups.

During a recent purchase at a local hardware store, the aroma of butter filled the air and the cashier switched from money collector to popcorn distributor with each and every customer that approached his register (I have since gone back to the store for measly reasons for the sole purpose of obtaining more and more theatre-esque boxes of the corn treat).

How are you engaging customers and how have companies connected with you?