Walking into the small shop you are immediately enveloped by the smells of cinnamon, maple syrup, chocolate, hints of lemon, orange, and the heavenly aroma of fresh donuts baking.
A few weeks ago my family and I spent a weekend down at the beach in Ocean City MD. While I am normally a stick to your ribs breakfast kinda girl (think bacon and eggs, baked oatmeal, omelets), we wanted fast and easy, so donuts were the obvious choice.
While there was a Dunkin Donuts right down the street, we decided to go a bit further and try a shop called the Fractured Prune. As you may have guessed, The Fractured Prune Donut Shop is a landmark in Ocean City, and yet as many times as we’ve been to OC, we’ve never gone to The Fractured Prune. It was time to remedy that.
It was quiet when we walked in (a lull, because when we left the place was hoppin’) and after my nose adjusted to the drool worthy aromas, we walked to the counter to place our order.
The Fractured Prune has a menu of their own original donuts or you can make your own with your choice of toppings.
The choices were almost overwhelming ( I agonized over the Orange Creamsicle or the Lemonade) and after we ordered and were waiting for them to be made, I walked over to read how The Fractured Prune got its name.
As we drove back to the house, it was hard not to break open the box and snag a donut.
Donuts smell delicious, but warm, fresh made donuts are.to.die.for.
As we walked in the house, the hordes descended and I was barely able to get the box open before eager hands were reaching in. We actually cut the donuts in quarters so we could try a variety of them (yes they are really that good).
The Fractured Prune is a perfect example of a brand creating an experience for their customers. Let me highlight a few of the things that had my brand senses tingling:
An interesting story- The name itself is catchy and unusual. What the hell is a Fractured Prune? You’ve caught my interest from the get go and I want to learn more. The story is cute and while “Fractured Prune” seems totally random, when you read the story it all makes sense. You can read the story here.
Involving the senses- Almost all of your sense are hijacked when you walk into a Fractured Prune. The tantalizing smells, the delicious taste, the signature colors, the fun names of the donuts. The more you can involve the senses, the more indelible the experience.
Personalization-While they have a menu of donuts, you can also make your own with a variety of toppings.
Fun- With names like Pebble Beach, Blueberry Hill, and Morning Buzz, bright colors, and a humorous logo, this brand embraces their Jester archetype
Meeting expectations- When you go the Fractured Prune, you know you are going to get some pretty freakin’ amazing donuts.
Raving fans- The main reason we decided to get donuts there was because of everyone we knew talking about how scrumptious the donuts were. They have built brand equity up by commitment to their vision.
Interestingly enough, I actually have a Fractured Prune shop near where I live (will definitely be going to check it out soon!). It’s no surprise that the Fractured Prune is growing into a chain of donut shops. As they say in their tagline:
The side of a Fractured Prune box
What type of experience is your brand creating?
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