When it comes to thinking out of the box, many struggle with simply letting their imagination run free. Ironically, the flexibility to do just that is often times critical to your success.
Visualize the chaos of New York City’s Times Square and the obviously intense competition of one of the largest cities in the world. If you were given the opportunity to open any kind of establishment amidst that treasured real estate, what would it be? What service or product do you think might attract the attention of the millions of people who traffic that famous few blocks of real estate? You might be surprised.
Two week ago, Kellogg’s “Pop-Tarts World” Mega-Store opened, joining M&Ms and Hershey as yet another sugary tourist attraction in Times Square. Located on 42nd Street between 6th and Broadway, the store will include a cafe selling—you guessed it—Pop-Tarts. Promoters have promised a few surprises for those who struggle to visualize 3,000 square feet dedicated to toaster pastries. Among them is “Pop-Tarts sushi,” which is minced Pop-Tarts wrapped in a fruit roll-up. The cafe will serve 30 different snacks and desserts, allowing visitors to design their own Pop-Tarts by adding frosting, toppings, and drizzle.
Customers will be able to eat Pop-Tart sushi, order a customized pastry, create a custom box filled with a mix of their favorite flavors or chose a Pop-Tart T-shirt from a collection of colorful designs.
In fact, just about the only attraction at Pop-Tarts World which won’t put five pounds on you is an hourly light show. Makes sense doesn’t—I know I personally never feast on a Pop-Tart without the ambiance of a light show! The intent is for visitors to feel like they’re being “frosted” by red and white light, then “sprinkled” by brief pulses of multicolored lights, and then “wrapped in foil” by one last bright light.
Pop-Tarts, two layers of pastry with sweet filling, has been a Kellogg mainstay for nearly 50 years; about two billion sell each year. However, as unbelievable as this may sound, it wasn’t until the recent rise of social media that Kellogg grasped the dedication of Pop-Tart fans. The Pop-Tart’s Facebook page is one of the social network’s 20 most popular!
Bottom line—never rule out any possibility! Monitor current trends, remain flexible, and be willing to risk the radical expansion of your comfort zone. Oh, and start your day with a Pop-Tart!
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.