1
2
3
4
5
6
I am possibly personally responsible for a percentage point increase in the US obesity rate. Sorry about that.
I came up with the idea for the Krispy Kreme Hot Light app and the platform that connected the iconic Hot Lights to the Web, Twitter and many other digital connection points. The original prototype was a lamp on my desk and a webpage on my phone that lit up when the lamp turned on.
From there, the platform grew to be an incredible success story. Not only was it a huge social media success, but download and ongoing usage metrics exceeded expectations. Best of all, it helped Krispy Kreme enjoy several consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth. And it earned a Top Five Restaurant Campaign nod from Nation's Restaurant News, which was an especially sweet distinction given that we spent no media dollars at all. It also earned Barkley prominent news and analyst coverage. The app caught the attention of Forrester Research and was featured prominently in several reports and at least one book.
The Hot Light glows, and you are powerless to resist.
Ideas sometimes happen on dirty whiteboards.
The Hot Light app created also created new direct-to-fan owned media channel for Krispy Kreme.
The system was even connected to outdoor billboards to communicate to nearby commuters.
The original prototype was built using my desk lamp.