Small Business Marketing Guide - DIY (do-it-yourself) BRAND MARKETING STRATEGIES to HELP YOU GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Pinkberry frozen yogurt has been spotted in the hands of famous people from Paris Hilton to Mike Tyson; it’s appeared in television shows like “Saturday Night Live” and within celebrity gossip magazines like Us Weekly and People. How did a frozen yogurt company achieve such pop culture street cred in such a short span of time? Rockstar branding.

Yolanda Santosa is the creative director of Pinkberry, and was recently profiled by Fast Company. Under her tutelage, Pinkberry has grown from one store into seventy, and its popularity has inspired dozens of copycat frozen yogurt franchises. Each store boasts sterile, retro-futuristic white decor, $500 Philippe Starck chairs and minimalist Alessi kitchen tools in place of tchotchkes. The combination makes every Pinkberry experience significantly more upscale than your typical frozen yogurt shop.

Santosa has also contributed to Pinkberry’s rockstar status in non-aesthetic areas. The term frozen yogurt is meaningless at Pinkberry; instead, it’s called swirly goodness. Die-hard Pinkberry fans aren’t regulars, but Pinkberry Groupies, who attend regular promotional events held by Pinkberry in which complimentary frozen yogurt is served up to boost loyalty for the brand. A Pinkberry MySpace page paints the franchise as a 20-year-old Capricorn whose mood is amused. Such moves distinguish Pinkberry fans from the populace; the Pinkberry brand has thereby become an aspect of its consumer’s identity, inspiring brand addiction.