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Earlier this summer, we were passing through Albany, also known as "home to the Burgerville closest to my house." We stopped in and had dinner as we do anytime we have a reason to head north. Each of my children ordered a kids meal, which of course comes with a toy, like any good kids meal should. Only the "toys" at Burgerville aren’t the typical piece of junk that you sometimes get with other fast food.

On this visit, the "toy" was a small vegetable pot and a small packet of seeds. The next day my kids took these little pots and planted pumpkin, cucumber and tomato seeds with the help of their grandparents. A week or so later we started seeing the fruits of their labor, the first sprouts were beginning to show. As the tiny plants began to grow we had a dilemma on our hands. What to do with the pumpkin and cucumber growing in our windowsill? (Unfortunately, the tomatoes never sprouted.)

I sensed that my kids wanted to see their plants grow to be big plants and because our yard didn’t already have a garden, I had to act. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to do a project with my kids and produce something useful at the same time. We took the only section of yard that wasn’t already landscaped and turned it into a raised garden-bed. While we were building it, I kept thinking about how this kids meal toy prompted such an undertaking.

Afterall, I had to design it, reroute the sprinkler system, buy the supplies, measure and cut the wood, assemble the wood and move 3 yards of soil (I didn’t say it was a big garden), and finally transplant the seedlings. Whew!

I will always remember how our garden started and the fun I had putting it together with the kids. I’ll also think of Burgerville. (I think of Burgerville anyway, because of their outstanding cheeseburgers and halibut fish and chips. But now I have another reason.) It’s funny a "toy" from a fast food restaurant can turn into a long-term marketing tool.

Are your "toys" marketing your business? If not, we can help. Call or e-mail us to find out how.