Pinkberry vs. gelatoDay: a modern day David and Goliath battle for Yogurt supremacy

 

I know, the whole 'yogurt' craze in Los Angeles is getting a little/lot tiresome. But I can't resist sharing with you the flyer that was placed on my car this weekend advertising gelatoDay, a joint very close to Larchmont Village that has the edge on the Larchmont Boulevard Pinkberry Franchise since it is actually OPEN FOR BUSINESS.

Now, gelatoDay's product might not be the greatest (but it's certainly passable) and its portions may be small on the small end of the spectrum (but who really needs a vat of yogurt when a few ounces will do?). However, gelatoDay's marketing rocks. Its shaky grasp on the English language, and sheer boldness make me really want to root for the place. It's not some Starbucks-style corporate juggernaut, it's classic mom and pop, word of mouth, grass roots style stuff. And here it is in all its glory:

FRONT:

BACK:I have to give props to anybody who uses the descriptor "sweet and sour" to describe a food product that isn't a poultry dish on a Chinese take-out menu; or that touts "constipation" as one of its unique benefits (does the yogurt relieve or cause constipation? The flyer is unclear).

Also, to creatively target the large but underserved market concerned with both colon health/yeast infections and also seeking yummy dessert products is simply genius! I am equally intrigued by the term "grow food".

In any case, while the folks at Pinkberry are carefully developing their style sheet, decor guidelines and grammatically correct shelf-talkers and marketing materials that the 1000 franchise applicants will be forced to use in each of their branches, the yogurt-preneurs of gelatoDay brashly move forward with a charming innocence -- and tendency for malapropisms (or just bad translation) -- that is winning me over. Bigtime.