More on Pinkberry

Frozen yogurt alone is generic. With so many brands out there in the market, you have to work hard to build a unique brand. Pinkberry has been able to do just that, by creating a niche in the marketplace for a product people didn’t even know they wanted.

Unlike the frozen yogurt in the freezer aisle of the supermarket, which is made to be lower fat than ice cream, but still sweet like ice cream, Pinkberry frozen yogurt has a signature tart flavor, like unsweetened yogurts often have. This taste is more true and authentic to the yogurt form, helping solidify the product to consumers that look for an authentic flavor in a healthier form.

Not to limit themselves to a small consumer market, Pinkberry knew that adding personalized flavor choices was important, so they have a toppings bars of fruits and sweets. 

Toppings bar at Pinkberry

This allows the consumer to personalize the flavor with plentiful choices, and allows each person to walk away feeling that they had a part in creating something, instead of just being served something generic. What could be a passive experience becomes a participatory one instead. And this emotional response carries forth a conversation, as consumers compare their favorite flavor and toppings combo with others around them. I’ve taken my teenage cousin and her friends to Pinkberry in the past, and always laugh at how excited they get when they realize they like the same flavor combo as one another. Its like being on a date, and being excited because you have the same taste in music, or books. It’s a small bond that helps build a foundation, which is exactly what Pinkberry knows how to do well.

Pinkberry is very brand driven, though simple in its approach. With a concept that focuses only on high quality products to form a great taste, and a pleasing beautiful design, the company respects its customers, and so doesn’t “sell” to them in the traditional fashion. Instead they run with what the consumer has responded well too, a look symbolic of the product, and a consistent quality of product. Their main slogan, “Get your taste of swirly goodness,” is derivative of all they stand for, simple, wholesome and tasty.  

All the stores have a cohesive look (which the website emulates), with elements of only size and shape being changed to fit a space, while color, pattern and texture remain constant from the pebble floor to the modern bright airy chairs and benches. From the name Pinkberry, with pink a positive color evoking freshness, and berry known for its healthy qualities the brand ties everything together from the ground up. (Though some call it crackberry as a joke since it can be additive. Check out this fan video for more on that -Fan Vid from Youtube). You can drive by a Pinkberry storefront in Boston, London, or Peru and it will always look the same. They carry only three main flavors that are healthy choices with low fat or fat free yogurt options only, and have a noticeable pop design in store layout. This helps make the brand immersive, which is something its customer base enjoys and therefore helps create a level of loyalty for the brand that might not otherwise be there. 

The personality they developed early on has catapulted them into a franchise business that is growing at unprecedented rates. I only hope that doesn’t hurt them, as fans are sometimes loyal to the exclusiveness of a product, with too much of good thing weakening the bond that was built on absence making the heart grow fonder in the first place.