How Has Marketing Changed Over the Years
Turns out technology isn’t as important in the success of a marketing campaign as we think.
The King of Prussia in the 18th century had a very bizarre problem on his hands.
He needed to convince his bread-dependent country to give up bread and eat … potatoes.
He pulled that off. He managed to convince his people to choose potatoes over bread.
His strategies were so successful, that even today potatoes are a part of Germany’s staple cuisine.
As a mark of respect for the great king, people leave potatoes on his grave.
No kidding.
The question is, how did he manage to pull this off?
Sometimes people don’t know what’s good for them. In such cases, it is the responsibility of a leader to guide them. Leader’s vision must be strong enough to uplift his people and make them see what’s good for them. However difficult the job is.
Combine a leader’s vision with a marketer’s toolbox, and a leader seldom fails.
That’s what the Great King Frederick did.
In the 16th century, the bread was getting costlier. People across the nation were starving, the King had to look for an economically and nutritionally feasible solution.
Solution: Potato.
How would you feel if I asked you to give up coffee and live on water instead? Why? Because coffee is getting costlier. The economy is going down. You cannot afford it anymore.
So, I’ll tell you, water has a lot of benefits. I will them all.
Moral of the story: Water is healthier than coffee, so replace.
Would you? I know the answer.
Even though, water has its fair set of benefits; a waterfall is way beautiful than … water.
During that time, potatoes were placed in botanical gardens and not on the dining table of a regular family.
Why? Potato flowers are beautiful.
So a waterfall is beautiful, does that mean you wouldn’t drink water?
How do you change people’s habits? From eating bread to eating potatoes.
People thought potatoes are so bland, they have to be poisonous. Fair point.
Then how do you get people to convert?
Cue the marketing toolbox. The King chose reverse psychology, perceived scarcity, and an aura of mystery to lure people in.
He declared potatoes a ‘royal vegetable’. He planted potato patches in his garden and stationed guards around the patch.
Everyone began wondering: What is so precious that needs to be guarded 24*7?
Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back to life. So curious public started stealing under the nose of guards who were ordered to slack as much as possible.
The King’s strategies worked; people were willingly trying out potatoes. When they realized this plant is easy to grow, cook and at the same time healthy — they started growing it themselves.
Not only did the King got his people to try the product, but he made them adopt it as well.
No technology. No defined mediums of communication. No professional marketing team with 5–8 years of experience. Only pure motives.
This is marketing at its best: A moral obligation borne out of a deep belief that everyone will be better off if you succeed. — Niklas Göke
Read the entire anecdote by Niklas Göke here.
Another one of our stories stems from the 21st century’s technologically backed marketing strategies.
Allow me to introduce Pepsi and its $32 Billion typo, punctuated with deadly riots.
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Story Outline:
The early 1990s — Pepsi trying to enter in Coco-Cola dominant market in the Philippines
The Philippines — 12th largest soft drink market — population: 62 million people and counting — economy in bad shape
What could go wrong for a brand like Pepsi?
Apparently, everything.
A simple strategy: Pepsi bottles have a number, some of them are winning numbers, some small wins, some big. When I say big, I mean $40,000 big.
Sounds simple? No, not to computers.
One computer glitch, only one.
Bottle number 349 — which was supposed to be the big winning number — was printed on 800,000 bottles.
The number that promised $40,000 to the winner.
The factory operators were told not to print this number. These bottles were to be sent from the Pepsi headquarters.
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, everyone is excited. A prize amount that big could buy them a new house.
In two months, Pepsi’s market share reached 24.9% from 4%.
Fast forward to a few months —
The big day is here. TVs are on. And suddenly across the Philippines crowds and crowds of people are cheering. Apparently, 800,000 people won $40,000.
Cue disaster.
If they had to pay everyone, their total budget jumped to $8.7M from the original $2M.
Finally, they offered everyone $18.
From $40,000 to $18 — I don’t call it a dip.
Well, neither did Filipinos. They formed 349 Alliance consumer action group forms.
Protests started across Manila. They took violent form and killed a mother and a daughter.
Thousands of court cases and lengthy trials later the Philippine commerce courts eventually declared that this was not a malicious crime.
Pepsi lost $20M and market share. The market share has long since rebound, but what does it tell you about tech & marketing?
Read this story by Sean Kernan here.
