| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Wife's Marketing Prowess Helped Edison See the Light
It is well known that Thomas Edison was an inventor, a genius, and he never slept. Did you know that Mrs. Edison was a genius and never slept too? She was the marketing guru behind his engineering success.True, Tom had discovered what is today known as the light bulb. When he showed it to the Mrs. Mina Edison, his second wife, she asked "what are you going to call it?" Tom said. "I call it an affordable electrical home-lighting device." "Great," she responded, "with a name like that it will sit on the shelf at the patent office. We will just add it to the other money-losing patents you have conceived." "How will people know what it does? She asked sarcastically, "From its name? You need a short catchy description that customers (yes, even in the 1880s they were already called customers) will immediately identify with." This time Tom listened. The English inventor, Sir Joseph Swan, his arch rival, was ready to introduce a similar device and he did not want to lose out this time. Mrs. Edison started grilling her husband. "Why will people want to buy your affordable electrical home-lighting device?" "Well, it has the incandescence of 81 candles or 2.3 gas-burning lamps." he proudly answered. "Tom, I keep on telling you that those are features. Customers don't buy features; they buy benefits," she said. "How will this device benefit people?" "They will be able to stay up later and read more books," he offered. She glared at him. "Are you telling me that people will invest tens of dollars to bring wires into their houses to connect to your affordable electrical home-lighting device just to be able to read the latest Mark Twain novel?, she said. "I don't think so. My research shows that only 18 percent of adults can read on an eighth-grade level." She decided to bring in some of her neighbors and ask them their opinions of the device (history records this as the first documented focus group). Their comments were invaluable: "I will be able to put make-up on before school," said the high school debutante. A little 4-year old girl shyly whispered that she would be able sleep at night and not be afraid of the dark with an affordable electrical home-lighting device glowing in the hallway. As always it was the female head of the households who saw the benefits most evidently. "No more soot from the oil lamps means cleaner floors and therefore less of a need to wash and wax daily. Why with the extra time, I would be able to go to school and get a degree and work independently and therefore have the money I need to leave my husband," one said. Mrs. Edison was excited. This affordable electrical home-lighting device could finally make her husband an entrepreneurial success. However the focus group balked at the name. No way could they see themselves walking into one of those new Woolworth five-and-dime stores and asking for a dozen affordable electrical home-lighting devices. Mrs. Edison would not let them leave. "So what would you call it?," she asked in desperation. The responses were flying, "How about a non-candle lighting device" or a "Man-made bumble bee, or a ..." The little 4-year-old girl said it looked like her dad's bald head. He had started shaving his entire head for some unknown reason, and it gave off lots of light. Why not call it a bald light or a light bald? People stared nodding. They said the name was different and it would create a lot of buzz. They could see people walking into a store and asking for a box of light baldsPeople stared nodding. They said the name was different and it would create a lot of buzz. They could see people walking into a store and asking for a box of light balds. So the obvious question is: "How did light balds become what are today universally known as light bulbs?" Beats me. Hesh Reinfeld writes a syndicated business humor column. You can read additional examples of his columns on his website: http://www.heshreinfeld.com Or contact him at hesh1@comcast.net
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Marketing Smarter To Earn More An accountant once told me that he never met anyone who didn't want to make 30% more money. Whether you want a better lifestyle or to take more vacations, buy a fancy car, spend more time with your family, send your children to college or to give it all away, you could always use more money. Marketing is More Than a Token Process "Necessity is the mother of invention!" The first time I heard this was nearly twenty years ago when I was introduced to Tony Robbins' material. I was listening to, and applying, information from his thirty day series. How to Put Law & Order into Marketing Your Legal Practice First in a series of three articlesRegardless of your law firm's focus - criminal, civil, corporate, family, business, etc. - the greatest challenge most small to mid-size firms face is the lack of a strategic and disciplined approach to business development. How to Brief a Marketing Agency A new client recently emailed us a brief here at Mano Design. It was very brief brief indeed. Customers Are Like Vampires No, customers aren't bloodsuckers (well, maybe a few are!) and they don't come out only at night. According to legend, vampires don't come in until they are invited. Three Ways to Put Fresh Spins on Old Marketing Concepts Are you struggling to find a new twist for old advertising or marketing campaigns? If you're a small business owner or a copywriter/coach/other creative professional, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Having to come up with new ideas for a long-term client (or even your own business) can be overwhelming. Marketing to Women -- Can I Buy You A Clue? A while back a small business owner paid me a visit. He wanted help marketing his fitness business to women. Top 7 Tips for New Businesses The marketing decisions you make for your new business are the most important part of making your business a success. Marketing is about building a strong presence, name recognition and credibility through various methods. A Pass / Fail Test for Any New Market If you are considering entering a new target market, with anexisting or new product or service, it makes sense to firstsystematically analyze the market in question via somefundamental market evaluation criteria. It is not onlyrational but most cost effective to determine if a new marketpursuit makes sense for your company before any significantresources are further applied to the effort. 4 Dynamic Marketing Tactics Some of the simplest marketing tactics often produce the most profitable results. Here are 4 examples that have proven highly effective for any business. Make More Sells With Colors How Colors Effect Our Emotions?One of the most interesting things to me is how colors effect the way we think and feel.They effect us whether we are aware of it or not. Marketing Planning - Preparation and Accountability We all know the saying, "Failing to plan (prepare) is planning (preparing) to fail." I truly believe in this statement and I hope you do as well. Simplicity In Marketing In a world that is spinning out of control; with consumers being bombarded with hundreds of advertising messages per day in a variety of mediums, it is imperative to develop an understanding of the consumer's thinking to develop an edge in advertising.Consumer's get confused with excessive stimulus. Marketing To Women Recent studies concerning the "new world of women" have been released. Some of the major findings may be surprising to you (less so if you are a woman). What You MUST Understand About Your Web Numbers Two years ago, when I first started selling online, I focused on doing what I did best: generating useful content that people would want to pay for. But I quickly learned that selling a product online required me to have to learn about . Five Most Common Mistaken Beliefs About Joint Venture Marketing Apart from being the fastest, easiest, and most profitable strategy for attracting clients and boosting profits in any small business, there are so many other advantages of joint venture marketing for all parties involved. So, why aren't all small business owners implementing joint ventures?Here's a partial list of the most common mistaken beliefs about joint venture marketing. 10 Simple Ways to Boost Your Sales IMMIDIATELY! Alright you've got yourself a nice website with a greatdesign and a good steady traffic coming in.. Are You Guilty Of Interruption Marketing? You muted the commercials on the TV last night because you were fed up with interruption marketing. Ditto if you went through your mail to find most of it is junk. Everybody Loves Raymond....You Should Too! Popular TV Series Provides a Powerful Marketing LessonSmall Business owners spend a great deal of mental effort and time trying to dream up the next big marketing idea for their business. I'm all for that. Smart Ways To Rocket Launch Your Profits If you really want to pull more profits from your business, you really need take some of the actions listed here. 1.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
