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I mentioned in another post that there are very few idea’s that are totally new.
Consider the story of jello (we call it Jelly in the UK).
Image may be NSFW.
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I can remember as a kid making Jelly shaped rabbits and the like for birthday parties. A kids party is not a party without a jelly shaped animal of some sort. Making it with Mum was even better that eating it. I even used to eat it in its undiluted form
(Yuck I couldn’t face it now diluted or otherwise) Perhaps that’s why most of it ended up on the floor.
The story behind this product is relevant to us as marketers and its eventual success was a milestone in marketing practice.
Its made from gelatin extracted from the intestines, connective tissues, and boiled bones of animals….
How on earth did they get anyone, let alone kids,….to eat that.
Jelly( I’m in the UK) was popular in the Victorian era but was a hassle to make and only really available to the better off.
In 1845 the builder of the first American steam locomotive Peter Cooper filed a patent for powdered Gelatin. He didn’t do much with it and 40 years later it was sold to Pearle B Wait from new york
His wife added fruit flavoring and called it Jello, but once again the product did not catch on.
In 1899 the Waits sold their business to their neighbour…. a guy called Orator Francis Woodward, who owned the ” Genesee Pure Food Company” for $450.
Incidentally through a series of mergers and acquisitions in 1927….
Clarence Birdseye’s Frozen Food Company was added to the group to form the General Foods Corporation.
In 1902 a few adverts were placed in various US Ladies magazines but the Jell-o was no kind of success….
Here’s the Rub….
In 1904 Genesee Pure food sent out it’s sales reps (big style) with a….. FREE….. Jello recipe booklet .
This was pioneering stuff at the time…
the tag line was
” America’s Most Famous Dessert”
Not sure they would get away with that now too many are on the bandwagon. The concept, however, is as valid now as it was then.
What does it tell us….
The most popular….Free….. etc etc??,
Yes we are all sick and tired of being told this…..
But there are a few interesting things we can learn from Jell-O.
Despite the fact that the product is made from all sorts of unmentionable leftovers,
It gives value for money, and it’s marketing has established it as an accepted brand and foodstuff, all from a….
FREE….. giveaway
The marketing and its integration into our lives has even led to a multitude of uses, from kids party’s to jello wrestling.
So whats the point….
well… we may be a species that has certain buttons that need to be pressed before we react, but ONCE PUSHED!!…the skies the limit….
In this ever more sophisticated world the word Free…
has less meaning as we become increasingly aware of the marketing behind the word.
Giving something of real value for nothing is viewed with suspicion, and rightly so.
I suppose there is no such thing as a free lunch
So how can we overcome our natural suspicion to marketing hype.
Well..
.” give you best information first”.. not all of it naturally…
Look at Rich Sheffren, David Cavanagh, or any successful internet marketer they give value and substance for free….
If that kind of information and knowledge is for nothing…. how much are you prepared to pay for the rest?.
Human instinct , desire, aspiration, remain the same even in our ever more sophisticated world.
Marketing is the same in principal now as it always has been, look back and it will help you look forward