Jansport zips its way into the Purple Goldfish Project

Today Jansport returned to the Project at #835 from a tweet by @markosul:

Just received a notice from Jansport “thanking us” for returning a “vintage” backpack; they are sending us a new 1 free

It’s more than a bag.  It’s a Jansport. A guarantee that carries on for the life of the backpack:

Here’s a story  from a blogpost by the alaskanlibrarian:

Recently the JanSport backpack I’ve used for a number of years suffered “zipper disease” where it simply wouldn’t stay zipped. I went to the JanSport web site and looked up their lifetime warranty information. It took me a week or so to box up and mail my backpack. JanSport sent me a postcard when they received my backpack.

Last Friday, about a week after the postcard, my backpack arrived in the mail. JanSport replaced my zipper free of charge and shipped it free to Alaska! It works as good as new.

If you need a backpack, buy JanSport. It’s a great product backed by great service. And yes, I’ve bought more than one backpack from them.

Another great customer story.  The account by Hillary Lipko at The Frustrated Bunny shows how Jansport goes ‘above and beyond’:

I got my backpack back from Jansport yesterday, and I must say that I am more than impressed with the quality of the repairs. In fact, I’d say that they went well above and beyond the repairs I sent it in for. In the letter that I included with the backpack when I sent it, the only repairs I mentioned were that it needed the main compartment zipper replaced, and I needed the straps replaced. The zipper had contracted the dreaded “zipper disease,” and the foam in the straps had compressed so much that it might as well not have been there anymore. (Provided, these problems had occurred after about eight years of continuous use, which I think is pretty damn good.) Not only did they fix these things well beyond my satisfaction, they also replaced the handle on the top of the bag, the zipper pull that had broken off the front pocket, and the fraying of the fabric on some of the inside seams of the bag. None of those things bothered me, but I am beyond pleased that their repair center apparently takes time to assess the returned bag for everything that needs fixing rather than just relying on what the customer tells them.

Marketing Lagniappe Takeaways: Stand behind your product for life.  Fix mistakes or issues while keeping the customer informed. Look for ways to deliver above and beyond to exceed expectations. Have fun in the process.

Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra for good measure) – Here is a little backstory on the history of Jansport. A couple hippies and a girl name Jan:

Lagniappe defined: A marketing lagniappe, i.e. purple goldfish, is differentiation through signature added value.  It’s anytime a business goes above and beyond to provide a ‘little something extra’. It’s that unexpected surprise that’s thrown in for good measure.

How do you stand out in the sea of sameness? How do you win repeat customers and influence word of mouth?

Are you Giving Little Unexpected Extras? What’s Your GLUE?

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