Taipei 101 still wins

Although Taipei 101 has recently lost the title of "Tallest Building in the World" to Burj Dubai (just barely, see graph below), the bamboo-shaped building in Taiwan's capital city still has a few things left to boast about. 

Taipei 101 Goes Green
According to http://www.taipei-101.com.tw, "Tens of thousands of hours have been invested, both in terms of man-hour and resources, to achieve better performance in both basic environmental requirements such as waste reduction, energy- and water-saving, as well as other initiatives to improve indoor environmental quality, e.g., precise control of office temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels, etc."


As of July 2011, Taipei 101 is the world's tallest (509 meters high) and biggest (1.6 million square feet) Green Building.


World's Fastest Elevators
Additionally, Taipei 101 still holds the record for the fastest elevators in the world, which "carry people from the ground to the top (101st floor) in 39 seconds, at an ear-popping 1,010 meters per minute, a speed one third faster than the previous record, according to engineer Roland Piquepaille. Not only are the cars fitted with pressure control systems, they're streamlined to cut down on whistling noise and vibration."



Clouds aren't the only things floating above Taipei...
In my opinion, one of the most special things about Taipei 101 is something that you won't find in the Guinness Book of World Records, but rather, on the 89th floor observatory.

As of last week (August 2011), with each admission ticket, each Taipei 101 guest is also given a coupon for a "Buy One Get One Free Taiwan Beer Float" at Big Tom's on the 89th floor.

For those unfamiliar with the word "float" as a noun, allow me to explain. The real name for a float is actually "ice cream soda," which is an apt description of the product: a glass of soda (usually Coke or Root Beer) with a scoop of ice cream in it. Like so:

A "Taiwan Beer Float" is just as so; a cup of Taiwan Beer with a scoop of ice cream in it. 

I've eaten some pretty disgusting things, but the thought of ice cream in beer made my stomach turn. It turns out, putting ice cream in beer is even more repulsive than it sounds. 

So, why does Taipei 101 win? 

I've broken down the marketing strategy in 4 easy steps to show you the genius behind it all:

1. Find a food/drink that is so eccentric that curiosity overtakes common sense. So exotic that it triggers this reactions: "Ice cream in beer??? That sounds awful, but I've GOT to try that."

2. Find a location to sell your product that you'll hardly ever have repeat business. The more special your location (i.e. tallest green building in the world), the further it will enhance #1. "How many people do YOU know that can say they've had a Beer Float in Taipei 101?"

3. Multiply the price it costs to make your product by your elevation above sea level. The most I've ever paid for a regular sized can of Taiwan Beer is NT$50 (and that was at a music festival). The thimble cup used for the Taiwan Beer Float was filled with ice and a scoop of ice cream, leaving only enough room for 1/2 a can of beer.

A watered-down Taiwan Beer Float costs NT $260 (almost US $9). 

4. If you've followed steps 1-3, you're already making money by stamping "sucker" on every customer's forehead. To really open the floodgates, throw in a "Free" float. It's a natural, and rather peculiar, reaction to take your wallet when you see the word "free." Aside from the economic benefits of the word "free," this will also encourage visitors to say things like this: "I'll try one if you do." Without the free float, less people will venture in alone. 

The best/worst part is that, with my brother (pictured above and below) and family, we figured out this ploy before buying the beer floats. We knew it would taste horrendous, we knew it was massively over-priced, yet we still bought 1 and accepted the free one. And we both finished it.

This was only worth it for the story.

Selling Taiwan Beer Floats for $260 a pop definitely qualifies as making "free money," right along with printing fake money that people burn immediately after purchase.