I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

Cake batter ice cream with chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough and waffle cone pieces.  This has been my order at Cold Stone Creamery ever since my very first visit, and it's about as likely to change as pigs are to fly.  Ice cream has always had a special place in my heart, Cold Stone in particular. Whoever came up with the idea to have a standard set of ice cream flavors with 50+ mix-in's and toppings is a genius, and my personal hero. Even if I do just get the same thing every time.

Cold Stone has already uniquely branded itself by its DIY approach to ice cream. Recently, the ice cream giant released its own custom line of eGifts on its Facebook Fanpage.  You've always been able to send your friends a virtual gift like a birthday cake or balloon avatar on their birthday.  Now you can send your friends actual ice cream.  For $5-7 you can place an order for a friend (or yourself), send them a Facebook notification with a print-out coupon and let them redeem it at Cold Stone for an ice cream!

This is social media marketing gold. Cold Stone found a way to link its social media presence with real sales by getting its customers off their computers and in to stores.  Since its launch, the application has sold roughly 2,000 eGifts and generated $10,000 in sales.  I found an interesting article that further breaks down Cold Stone's social media strategy.  Sheer genius.

So the next time you feel like brightening someone's day by treating them to ice cream, consider doing so via Facebook.  Psst, you already know my favorite...