Somewhere at Vacation headquarters, somebody walked into a meeting and said, "Hear me out. Whipped cream. But SUNSCREEN."
And instead of everybody staring at that person like they'd lost their mind, someone said, "You know what? I think we can sell that."
And here we are.
Meet Vacation's Classic Whip.
SPF 30 sunscreen that comes out in perfect little whipped cream peaks.
Yes, SUNSCREEN.
Now, I don't know about you, but I would have loved to be a fly on the wall during that product meeting.
Because underneath that ridiculous-sounding idea is some very smart business thinking.
Nobody Was Sitting Around Asking for Whipped Cream Sunscreen
Let's be serious.
Nobody was waking up in the morning thinking, "You know what my life is missing? Sunscreen that looks like dessert."
People already had sunscreen.
Plenty of it.
You could walk into practically any store and find an entire shelf of bottles promising protection, hydration, lightweight formulas, and every other skincare benefit under the sun.
And most of those products were competing on pretty much the same things.
Vacation looked at that crowded shelf and apparently decided the world needed something a little more interesting.
Not another SPF number.
Not another pretty bottle.
A completely different experience.
Because here's the thing.
Knowing you SHOULD use something and actually enjoying using it are two very different things.
And businesses leave a surprising amount of money on the table by ignoring that difference.
The Bottle Is Practically Doing Its Own Advertising
Look at this product.
It's a whipped cream can.
Except it's sunscreen.
You don't need someone standing next to it with a PowerPoint presentation explaining the concept.
You see the red cap, the dispenser, and those little whipped peaks, and immediately understand what's going on.
Then you probably do what most curious people would do.
You show somebody.
"Have you SEEN this?"
And just like that, the product has started a conversation without anybody buying an advertisement.
Now think about your own business for a second.
When was the last time somebody showed a friend your packaging simply because they couldn't keep it to themselves?
That's worth thinking about.
They Made the Boring Part the Interesting Part
Here's what I particularly love about this.
Vacation didn't invent sun protection.
They didn't discover some previously unknown reason people should wear sunscreen.
They looked at something people already needed and asked a much better question.
What if people actually enjoyed putting it on?
That's it.
And sometimes that's where the opportunity is hiding.
Think about how many things we buy because we have to.
Insurance. Toothpaste. Cleaning supplies. Office software. Appointments we'd rather not schedule.
Nobody's particularly excited about half the things on their monthly credit card statement.
But that doesn't mean the experience has to be boring.
Imagine a company making one of those ordinary, necessary purchases genuinely enjoyable.
Suddenly, people have another reason to choose it.
And another reason to remember it.
Here's Where I'd Pay Attention If I Were a Founder
You don't need to start putting whipped cream dispensers on everything.
Please don't.
I don't need my accountant sending financial statements out of a frosting gun.
But there's a lesson here that applies to almost any industry.
1. Stop assuming customers only care about the result.
Of course they want the product to work.
But they also experience everything that happens before, during, and after using it.
That experience is part of what they're buying.
2. Pay attention to the things customers tolerate.
Not complain about.
Tolerate.
Those little moments where people think, "Well, I guess that's just how it works."
That's where I'd start looking for opportunities.
What could be easier? More enjoyable? More memorable?
3. Give people a reason to bring you up in conversation.
You know those products people recommend without anyone asking?
Sometimes it's because the quality is exceptional.
Sometimes it's because the experience is so unexpected they can't help talking about it.
And sometimes it's both.
That's a wonderful position for a business to be in.
Now, About Your Business...
I want you to think about something.
Are your customers buying what you sell because they enjoy the experience?
Or because they need the result and are willing to put up with everything else?
Because those are two very different relationships.
One makes you useful.
The other gives people a reason to look forward to coming back.
And there's a lot of money hiding in that difference.
Vacation understood something that many businesses overlook.
You don't always need to change what you're selling. Sometimes you need to change what it feels like to buy or use it.
And please, can we give some credit to whoever had the confidence to pitch whipped cream sunscreen with a straight face?
I hope that person got a raise.