tasti D-lite blog

We’ve talked before about how Tasti D-Lite customers love to share their Tasti experiences online.  As part of rolling out a new nationwide loyalty card program, we thought it would only make sense to take the typical customer rewards program to the next level.

So we recently launched TastiRewards which allows members to earn points for Tasti purchases and connect their TreatCard activity with their Twitter and Foursquare accounts which will automatically post updates (tweets or check-ins) and award extra points toward free products.  Shortly after enabling the new functionality, we saw this on Twitter:

Twitter and Foursquare tell us this hasn’t been done before, so congrats to our digital loyalty pioneer Drew King (@CherryBomb13) and wife Laura Bopp who are frequent visitors to the New Rochelle, NY Tasti D-Lite.

Tasti TreatCard holders can do a number of cool things at myTasti.com:

• Get extra TastiRewards points just for signing up!
• Check your points balance online.
• After signing up, provide your birth date and you’ll get a free medium cup or cone on your birthday.
• Earn extra rewards by connecting your account to Twitter and Foursquare. Learn more.

Want to Join?

Check out our growing list of participating TastiRewards locations. Ask for a Tasti TreatCard and sign up at myTasti.com to start earning rewards!

During a recent training class on social media, we were showing our new UAE friends how Twitter is used and sent the following message to about 2,500 followers:

Here was the response:

Needless to say, the trainees were excited to see the real-time (and fun!) response and the potential for having engaging conversations online.

Thanks again to @MomsWhoSave @Valpakcoupons @anamitra @juliaroy @RaevenWestern @ginidietrich @hilary_a and @blah2voila
for helping us twain our newest Tasti D-Lite family members!

We thought we’d have some fun last week and hide a $50 TreatCard somewhere in Manhattan.  A video (see below) would be posted at a predetermined time revealing the exact location.  The first person to arrive on the scene who knew where to look would get the card.

Robert and I wondered how long it would take for someone to show up. Congratulations to Virginia who arrived just 7 minutes after the video was posted!



Follow Tasti D-Lite on Twitter for more coupons, contests and promotions: http://twitter.com/tastidlite.
Visit http://tastidlite.com/treatcard for more information on Tasti TreatCards.

We’ve had a lot of fun lately connecting with customers on sites like Facebook and Twitter as well as working with our franchisees on creating their own groups and accounts on the various social networks. The response from customers has been extraordinary and we continue to look for new ways to engage as these online applications become more popular.

Lately we’ve been playing around with mobile coupons which allow customers to simply show a text message instead of presenting a paper coupon. Follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook to see what else we’re up to.

As we continue to localize the social media efforts, we’ve come across Foursquare which is a location based mobile application where users “check-in” at local establishments, connect with friends and earn points among other things. The potential for presenting special offers to those checking in at nearby restaurants or other establishments will allow us to interact when users are out and about.

Please welcome guest blogger Carlos Martinez, Director of Learning at Tasti D-Lite who provided this post.

Consider this: I have a choice. I have the power to control my intake of calories and fat. For a long, long time (I am an early generation Boomer) there was very little to choose from. For those of you that remember, there was a time when there was no law that required manufacturers to list ingredients and nutritional information for the products they sold. A gallon of ice cream was just that – a gallon of ice cream. See the picture?

So I have lived through some times where my choices were based solely on whether I liked the product or not (I was born in 1946). Forget the rest. Forget about calories, fat content, carbs, you name it. In the example above, things were “so good – so good for you”. We all know that things have not stayed that way. Today we can read, inform ourselves, and make a rational decision as to what we buy and eat. We have also come a long way in determining the potential effect on our system of what we eat. I cannot afford not to watch what I eat any longer. I enjoy a good serving of ‘Vanilla ice cream’ once in a while.  And I can inform myself about the ingredients, caloric, fat and carb contents, among other fascinating information. I have a choice. I have the power to control my intake of calories and fat. That’s why I have chosen Tasti D-Lite as my favorite treat today. Check out the nutritional facts – you will be just as pleasantly surprised as I was!

As we recently approached the 1000th follower mark on Twitter, we thought it would be fun to celebrate the event with a contest that would award the winner a Tasti party with up to 20 of their friends.
The winner also got to choose the flavors of the day and enjoy a Fail Whale cake. Many of those already following us were strategizing with their non-follower friends in order to secure the number 1000 spot.

The private event was held on June 4th at the Empire State Building location and was attended many of the office staff of Worldwide Business Research.

One of the activities was a “Best Swirl” contest.  They were first instructed on the proper technique to create the perfect swirl in a Tasti D-Lite cup.  Contestants then presented their creations to the judges (their office mates) who rated the efforts on a scale of 1-10 as compared to the example they were provided.

I think everyone found that it is not as easy as it looks but a fun time was had by all.

Our thanks go out to all the attendees for a great time and for setting the standard for such contests in the future.

Be on the lookout for more promotions through Twitter and Facebook.  Got an idea for an office or birthday party at your local Tasti D-Lite?  Let us know here.

You may have been tagged recently on Facebook to provide “25 Random Things about Me”.  The craze has spread across the Internet and has both lovers and haters.  As we found out, it is not a simple exercise but worth the effort given that some of the content comes directly from the fans of the brand.  If you have others, feel free to leave a comment.
1. Tasti D-Lite was born in a kitchen on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 1987.
2. Commonly confused with Frozen Yogurt, Tasti D-Lite contains no yogurt cultures.
3. Always popular in NY, many of our Twitter followers are in different parts of the world.
4. New Tasti D-Lite locations opened in South Korea in 2008.
5. There have been at least 2 marriage proposals at Tasti D-Lite locations in the recent past that we know of.  Pictures of one Tasti D-Lite wedding can be found on our Facebook Fan Page.
6. The Tasti D-Lite franchise location with the highest number of Flavor Alert subscribers is currently Englewood, NJ.
7. Hot Chicks love Tasti D-Lite.  See the Good Morning America video here.
8. One of our customers created an entire blog site dedicated to reviewing our flavors and products.
9. The most popular Sex and the City episode that Tasti D-Lite appeared in was season 6 episode 88.
10. Many of our locations offer a kosher certification.
11. The most popular Tasti D-Lite flavor is the collective variations of Peanut Butter. The second most popular flavor is Cake Batter.
12. One of our favorite fan quotes is “If Tasti D-Lite…were a woman it would have a restraining order against me.” found here. 
13. Subscribers of Flavor Alerts have the option of receiving them by text or email and can select up to 10 of their favorites or just get a daily notification of all featured flavors for a certain location.
14. Our online Flavor Finder lets you search for the nearest location serving your favorite flavor.
15. We believe our Director of IT holds the record for the most Tasti D-Lite consumed in one day but have no way of knowing for sure.
16. Tasti Pies are square, not round.
17. One customer recently reported that she dreamed she was swimming in a pool of Tasti D-Lite. After further questioning, it was determined to be Cake Batter flavor (see random item 11) with M&M’s.
18. The most popular topping is Rainbow Sprinkles.
19. There are currently 193 Tasti D-Lite related pictures on Flickr.
20. Tasti D-Lite, LLC is headquarted in Franklin, TN.
21. One excited customer recently responded to an automated flavor alert notification:  “Cake batter todaaayyy!!!”  One Twitterer proclaimed “Your flavor alerts just might change my life.”
22. Tasti D-Lite base mixes are sweetened with a small amount of real sugar. NO NutraSweet, Splenda, Saccharin, Aspartame, or any other artificial sweetener.
23. Tasti D-Lite franchise opportunities are now available in 48 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and in select markets worldwide.
24. Most flavors contain 14 grams of carbohydrates or less per 4 fluid ounce serving; none contain more than 16 grams per serving.
25. Many Tasti D-Lite locations have their own Facebook Groups.

Extending the customer relationship online can be fun and engaging but by nature it is virtual.  You can’t shake hands or exchange a smile.  Bridging the gap between the virtual and physical realms starts with a real connection of some sort.  Customers cross the line when they step foot in a store, but interesting things can happen when the line is breached in the other direction.
We recently honored our 500th follower on Twitter with a $25 TreatCard.   This was a simple gesture of appreciation and perhaps a way to accumulate additional followers.

Within a short time, we had a winner. (@patrontcs) who works at Patron Technology.

After an exchange of information, address, etc. our local staff was instructed to mail the card.  Instead, they took it upon themselves not only to hand deliver the TreatCard, but they brought a Tasti D-Lite cake and some other Tasti items to the winner’s office unannounced.  Here are two of the responses:

Below is Chelsea (our winner) with her cake.  We are assuming at this point she is sharing her TreatCard as well.

Part of our Mission is ”…making every customer’s day better…”.  Sometimes you just have to cross the line.  We hope you will join us by following on Twitter here or join other Tasti D-Lite fans on Facebook here.

We realize that Web 2.0 has helped to change the rules of customer engagement. Perhaps because it has brought opportunity and access through mediums like Facebook, new ways to communicate such as Twitter, and higher levels of accountability through sites like Yelp. As a result, brands (including us) have been looking for ways to enrich the customer experience and extend the relationship online. On today’s web, everything is optional and most of it is free. Being transparent and relevant are required now more than ever.

So how do we contribute to the customer experience and engage in the discussion?  We believe that our use of social networking should reflect the culture and mission of Tasti D-Lite to make every customer’s day better.

One recent incident involved an unsuspecting individual who mentioned (via Twitter) that he (@eyecube) was working in the Empire State Building. One of our flagship locations is there, so we took a chance and sent along a link to a BOGO coupon. Not a stranger to Tasti D-Lite, his response was as follows:

They came down for a visit later that afternoon.  In this particular case, a proactive gesture got a positive response from a customer. That would have been the end to a nice story, but our local staff wanted to show their appreciation by sending up a Tasti cake and some other goodies for the entire office the next business day.

Here are a couple of the responses:

How fun is that? I think the experience and response was a little unexpected for both of us.  Part of the fun is not knowing what is going to happen when these new mediums are used.  We’ve had great feedback so far on all of the social networking initiatives that we have tried.  We hope you’ll join us in the fun.  Follow us on Twitter here or join other Tasti D-Lite fans on Facebook here.  Also check out @eyecubes’s blog here. (He’s a cool customer.)