My current reading is "Twenty Ads That Shook The World," the first chapter of which is about P.T.Barnum. Coincidentally, I went to the circus last night. Barnum never said "There's a sucker born every minute" but he DID invent the slogan "The Greatest Show on Earth".

More than 150 years later, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is still using that slogan and still following the successful actions established by probably the greatest self-promoter in American history. Almost every second of their show last night was a tribute to Barnum's genius, right down to the midget, now called "Nano."

Their use of technology is totally 21st century (I've never seen the likes of the projection screens they used), but the high-wire acts, elephants, big cat tamer, even the clowns with brooms warming up the crowd - they've been doing it that way and it's been working since 1850.

Great, great entertainment. It's a SHOW people come for, and they deliver. And they deliver by promoting everything they do in their marketing, in the lead-up to the acts and in the acts themselves.

Barnum these days is associated with deception and overly-hyped advertising. But he invented many advertising techniques now standard or long-since worn out. The farewell tour, limited edition, once-in-a-lifetime offers, all Barnum inventions.

P.T.Barnum was a man who knew that people buy the sizzle, not the steak. And despite his deteriorated reputation, he largely delivered, left people satisfied, and got rich and famous. In his time his was probably the most well known name on Earth.

Most businessmen should be pleased to do one tenth as well.

Posted by Richard R. Byrd at 08:42 AM | Permalink

When you see grocery store coupons, when your receive a direct mail promotion, when anyway talks about measuring results in marketing, the promotion of benefits over features, the use of preemptive positioning - homage is being paid to Claude C. Hopkins. He either invented or developed to a science each of these.

Born in 1866, he got his start in advertising in the 1880's when stamps were a penny and brands were few.

Over the next 40 years, he helped establish many now famous brands, even products. At a time when brooms were the universal tool for cleaning floor, he single-handedly popularized carpet sweepers, working for Bissell.

He was proud of being a man of the people, asserting that most purchases were made by humble people, not the elite, and that you had to be and live with them to understand them, their needs and wants.

He was a strong advocate for simple, clear language in advertising. While he asserted that advertising is salesmanship in print, he also said he never tried to sell anything. His approach was simply to offer people something they wanted, to make clear with his copy that it WAS something they wanted, and to offer it in a way people would be comfortable in getting it.

Almost everything he layed out as principles of advertising, in his books My Life in Advertising and Scientific Advertising, still applies, 80 years later.

Truly a giant of advertising.

Posted by Richard R. Byrd at 08:37 AM | Permalink

Marketing has a history.

I mean, it wasn't suddenly invented in 1997. Or 1957.

Over the last 150 years, there have been great marketers. Claude Hopkins, David Ogilvy, Al Ries, many others. Some of them are even still alive.

My point is that great marketing is not just a matter of a great idea. There ARE truths in marketing. The people who discovered, developed or promoted new truths and effective methods laid the foundation for all that goes on today.

It is NOT true that every new piece of technology Totally Changes Everything. All they do is provide a new way of manifesting the eternal truths.

In the early years of the 20th century, Claude Hopkins developed testing and measuring as key tools for creating effective campaigns.

The development of Web Analytics programs means we can apply those principles to websites and Internet Marketing.

To help remind of these facts, from time to time, I'm going to post an article about one of these Giants of Marketing, Greats of Marketing History - the gods of Marketing you might call them.

Posted by Richard R. Byrd at 07:55 AM | Permalink