Franchise Marketing: Spoon Me Frozen Yogurt
Founder Ryan Combe reveals the new age frozen yogurt marketing secrets behind Spoon Me.
In an interview with Top New Franchises, Founder Ryan Combe described Spoon Me as “a frozen yogurt franchise company that cares about the body we live in, the community we live with, and the world we live on. We have worked diligently to provide a product that is extremely healthy and a way of doing business that will have a positive effect in our stores and in the communities where they operate.”
His unconventional yogurt marketing approach seems to resonate both with young consumers and franchise buyers. Here are brand and marketing related excerpts from the interview:
“Just having a good product is not enough….We wanted to give people a fun place to hang out and socialize… a complete experience.” Ryan Combe, Spoon Me Frozen Yogurt
“David James and I began seeing frozen yogurt concepts popping up on the east and west coasts. We loved some of the products, but, in our opinion just having a good product is not enough. We also think it’s important to have a friendly, engaging environment. A fun but meaningful brand. And a philosophy of giving back to the community.
“We decided to throw our hat in the ring to see if we could improve upon these existing concepts. We wanted to give people a fun place to hang out and socialize, not just frozen yogurt, but a complete experience. We wanted to create a place that people would want to visit 3-4 times per week. And we’ve done that. Sometimes they come for the product, sometimes for the Spoon Me experience.
“Our core, target customer is the younger, hipper demographic of 16-30 year olds. So we keep the music lively and turned up loud.” Ryan Combe, Spoon Me Frozen Yogurt
“Our stores are designed to create a friendly, high-energy social environment. There are no televisions. Our employees engage the customers and let them know we’re glad they’re here. We call our customers by name whenever possible.
“Customer service is a key part of our concept. We keep the operation simple so that the employees can talk to the customer. We don’t force canned greetings on our employees; we encourage them to be themselves. If they want to say “what’s up, dude?” that’s fine as long as they’re welcoming the customer.
“Our core, target customer is the younger, hipper demographic of 16-30 year olds. So we keep the music lively and turned up loud.
“The Spoon Me brand represents more than frozen yogurt. It also represents the values we share with our customers.” Ryan Combe, Spoon Me Frozen Yogurt
“The Spoon Me brand represents more than frozen yogurt. It also represents the values we share with our customers. A love for fun, but also a commitment to giving back to our communities and to being environmentally responsible.
“We’re always looking for cool ways to improve our local communities. We support local charities and causes. People can help us spread the love by dropping a few coins in our “Keep the Change Charity,” or, if they are looking for a more hands on approach, they can check out our community board for other volunteer activities.”
“The Spoon Me brand represents more than frozen yogurt. It also represents the values we share with our customers.” Ryan Combe, Spoon Me Frozen Yogurt
“The Spoon Me brand represents more than frozen yogurt. It also represents the values we share with our customers. A love for fun, but also a commitment to giving back to our communities and to being environmentally responsible.
“We’re always looking for cool ways to improve our local communities. We support local charities and causes. People can help us spread the love by dropping a few coins in our “Keep the Change Charity,” or, if they are looking for a more hands on approach, they can check out our community board for other volunteer activities.
“Spoon Me tries to be eco-friendly in every aspect of its business as well.”
“If a business like ours doesn’t engage customers where and how they congregate they’ll get left behind.” Ryan Combe, Spoon Me Frozen Yogurt
“We cater to a younger demographic, and that’s how they communicate. Our customers are constantly on their cell phones, texting, checking their Twitter and Facebook accounts on their laptops. (All our stores have free WiFi) If a business like ours doesn’t engage customers where and how they congregate they’ll get left behind.
“Twitter, FaceBook and texting are fun and inexpensive ways to communicate with our customers and potential customers.
“For instance, we maintain a texting database. That enables us to send out last minute or specialized marketing messages. We sponsor concerts and might offer a cell phone coupon to everyone there. They just have to show the coupons on their cell phone for $1 off or a Buy One Get One Free offer.
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