With the Wrigley sale in the news, I've done some reading on the company's beginnings. What impressed me the most was how the practices that made William Wrigley Jr. his fortune over a 100 years ago are the very same ones that are front and center in the successful marketing efforts of today.
Have a look at the story behind the gum. Here are a few things that jumped out at me:
Quote: "Several times the young company was on the verge of going under, but hard work overcame the difficulties, and the business forged ahead."
All of us go through tough challenges as we try to find the right road to our goals, Wrigley was no different. And, as anyone who has made it will tell you, those two words "hard work" are more often than not the key to beating the obstacles.
Quote: "He had a gift for seeing his customers' point of view and accommodating himself to their needs."
Brilliant. I’ve always said business is more common sense and less rocket science. He didn't try to force an unwanted product on his customers, he listened to them, and gave them what they were asking for. Something I didn't know: The gum started out as just a give-away while he was selling baking powder. He latched on to the demand for the gum outweighing the demand for the baking powder and...you know the rest.
Quote: "He saw that consumer acceptance of Wrigley's gum could be built faster by telling people about the benefits of the product through newspaper and magazine ads, outdoor posters and other forms of advertising. Then, as more and more consumers began to ask for and buy Wrigley's chewing gum in the stores, the storekeeper would naturally want to keep a sufficient stock of Wrigley brands on hand."
An excellent example of "pull" marketing, about 80 years before the term was invented! Young entrepreneurs are exciting even 106 years later!
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