Surf’s Up at ice cream shop
Through August visitors to Baskin-Robbins shops can try a taste
of limited time flavors and treats based on the movie
”
Surf’s Up,
”
an animated film about a surfing penguin. The summer sweets
include two new ice cream flavors and two frozen beverage
concoctions. Penguin Swirl is a twist of black mixed berry ice
cream and white tutti fruiti ice. Splish Splash is a blend of blue
raspberry sherbert and blueberry ice. The blended treats include
the Fruit Blast Smoothie, which blends fruit and nonfat frozen
yogurt and a Fruit Blast with fruit and ice.
Surf’s Up at ice cream shop
Through August visitors to Baskin-Robbins shops can try a taste of limited time flavors and treats based on the movie “Surf’s Up,” an animated film about a surfing penguin. The summer sweets include two new ice cream flavors and two frozen beverage concoctions. Penguin Swirl is a twist of black mixed berry ice cream and white tutti fruiti ice. Splish Splash is a blend of blue raspberry sherbert and blueberry ice. The blended treats include the Fruit Blast Smoothie, which blends fruit and nonfat frozen yogurt and a Fruit Blast with fruit and ice.
In addition, Baskin-Robbins is offering a summer Catch a Wave and Win contest. To play contestants can visit www.bigwaveblast.com or www.baskinrobbins.com/bigwave. If Cody, a character from the movie, hangs ten the contestant wins. If not, they receive a coupon for a Fruit Blast Smoothie. The contest runs through July 31 and other prizes include a trip to Jamaica for four, a trip for four to the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, Baskin-Robbins treats for a year, and “Surf’s Up” video games, DVDs and other prizes.
Through the years, Baskin-Robbins has created more than 1,000 ice cream flavors.
Experts everywhere
If you want to improve customer service at your business, try watching reruns on television, chatting up an 8-year-old or visiting a fancy hotel.
Business savvy can crop up in the most unexpected places, according to Alan Gregerman, author of “Surrounded by Geniuses: Unlocking Brilliance in Yourself, Your Colleagues and Your Organization.”
For example, plopping down in front of a few “Seinfeld” reruns can be more valuable than spending millions of dollars on market research, Gregerman said. Popular television shows are well-loved because they hit a chord with mainstream America. The characters’ joys and frustrations can often reflect your customers’ preferences, he said.
Your local Girl Scout troop offers a lesson in connecting with clients, Gregerman said. The annual cookie sale combines the nostalgia of a well-loved brand, an appealing salesperson and a quality product, he said. People feel like part of their community, not just a customer, when they buy a box of Thin Mints. “You get an amazing amount of what it means to be human for $3.50,” Gregerman said.
Finally, almost any business can learn a thing or two from concierges at the world’s finest hotels. They greet each request with a promise to make it their first priority, then rely on established networks to deliver on that promise, Gregerman said. A contact at the city’s hottest restaurant can mean the difference between a disappointed guest and a last-minute reservation.
A generation’s expectations
Today’s graduates expect more than a steady paycheck from their employers. And don’t ask them to work on weekends.
The top career goal college students wish to reach within three years of graduation is balancing their personal life with work, according to a new survey. Pursuing higher education ranked second, though students are in no rush to return to the books – that goal saw a 10 percent drop from last year to 36 percent.
This new generation has forced corporate America to adapt its workplace policies, said Claudia Tattanelli of Universum USA, the branding company that conducted the nonscientific survey.
“It does not ask for work-life balance, it assumes it,” she said.
Nearly 30 percent of students cited contributing to society as a priority, and high ethical standards trumped financial strength as the top characteristic students seek in an employer.
For this generation, work is more than just a place to earn a paycheck, it’s an environment in which to learn, be mentored and make a difference, Tattanelli said.
Nearly 45,000 undergraduate students from 184 schools responded to the online survey.
Attached at the hand
Do you bring your cell phone everywhere? Do you sleep next to your Treo or bring your Blackberry to the bar? Has your mobile met your mom?
More than 60 percent of mobile phone users say they have a personal connection with their device, and 44 percent believe their phone has strengthened their relationships, a new survey reports.
Women are more prone than men to drop everything to answer a call, while men are more likely to report that their phone has made them too accessible, according to the unscientific survey conducted by Harris Interactive and Ingenio Inc.
Text messaging is more popular among women, but men send more e-mails on their wireless devices, the survey found.
The sexes agree on one thing, though: Nearly 20 percent of respondents named Oprah Winfrey as the celebrity from whom they would most like to receive a call.
The online survey was conducted March 29-April 2 among more than 4,100 adults in the U.S.
