Buzz
There are two main approaches to creating a product. One involves identifying an existing issue and developing a product to solve it, while the other is about transforming non-issues into perceived problems and offering a solution. Companies often favor the latter strategy, as it helps them tap into lucrative niche markets.
Numerous products and services we purchase are the result of persuasive advertising. These items weren't initially seen as problems, but advertisers and businesses created the perception of a need, offering solutions in exchange for our money.
10. Antiperspirant
A century ago, sweating and body odor were completely natural. That was until Edna Murphey introduced Odorono, the first widely successful antiperspirant. However, Edna didn’t invent it; the first antiperspirant (Everdry) appeared in 1903, while the first deodorant (Mum) was patented in 1888.
Odorono was developed by Edna’s father, a physician, to prevent his hands from sweating during surgeries. However, Edna discovered its potential for another use when she realized it also stopped her armpits from perspiring. She then packaged it as Odorono and began selling it.
At first, the product was a commercial failure because there was no demand for an antiperspirant. Edna’s sales representatives often returned with unsold stock. Drugstores also refused to carry Odorono, believing it to be ineffective. Even stores that did stock it frequently sent it back due to poor sales.
Edna’s breakthrough came at the 1912 trade fair in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Initially, she struggled with sales and had to sell other cosmetics to cover the cost of her booth. However, the summer heat drew customers to her stand for Odorono, and she made enough money at the fair to spend $30,000 on advertising.
Edna hired J. Walter Thompson Company, a New York-based advertising agency, to help boost sales. The agency successfully convinced the public that sweating was an embarrassing medical issue, while also promoting the fact that Odorono was created by a doctor (Edna’s father) to address it. This campaign was a success, and sweating continues to be seen as an embarrassing issue today.
9. Diamond Rings
Ever heard the phrase “diamonds are forever”? Or that a diamond ring is essential for proposing to your beloved? Well, thank De Beers’s clever advertising tactics for that idea. Diamonds don't last forever, and a diamond ring isn't a necessity for a proposal.
Diamonds are arguably the worst type of precious stone you can purchase. They hold little value and depreciate quickly. A diamond loses half of its worth as soon as you leave the jewelry store. In reality, diamonds are more common than you might think; De Beers simply stockpiles them to inflate their prices.
The De Beers diamond strategy began in 1870 when vast diamond deposits were discovered in South Africa. This made diamonds far more affordable, which Cecil Rhodes, a businessman, did not want. He acquired or partnered with most diamond mining companies, including the well-known De Beers, to control the market.
Despite this, diamond sales still suffered. In 1938, De Beers hired the N.W. Ayer advertising agency to boost sales. N.W. Ayer concluded that diamonds should be marketed to bachelors looking to marry. Buying a diamond for your partner was promoted as the ultimate masculine gesture.
At the same time, diamonds were marketed to women. The gemstone was portrayed as a woman’s best friend and the perfect symbol of a man’s deep affection. This marketing strategy proved to be highly effective.
8. Shaving Razors For Women
In the early 1900s, women had visible hair on their armpits and legs, which was completely normal. Since women were typically fully covered, the hair was not seen by others. This changed in 1915 when Gillette introduced the Milady Decollete razor designed specifically for women. Gillette's focus wasn't on women's health, but on selling more razors.
Gillette frequently promoted its razors in women’s fashion catalogs, where they labeled armpit hair as an embarrassing issue that was “ugly, noticeable, and unwanted.” They claimed that a hairless armpit was a sign of good dressing and grooming, a feature associated with fashionable women.
Interestingly, Gillette never told women they needed the razors for shaving, as shaving was traditionally considered a male activity. Instead, the company used the term “smooth.” The message was that women needed razors to make their legs smoother.
Gillette also avoided words like “razor” and “blade.” The ad campaign was reinforced by the rising trend of sleeveless fashion. As a result, women began to remove their armpit hair more frequently.
7. Bottled Water
In recent years, soda sales have declined as people have become more health-conscious. As a result, leading soda manufacturers have shifted their focus toward a healthier option: water, specifically bottled water.
Bottled water is essentially an alternative to tap water. However, manufacturers quickly realized that competing with tap water directly would be a challenge. Instead, they chose to compete with soda. Today, bottled water is promoted as a healthier alternative, positioning itself as a ‘refreshment beverage.’
The bottled water phenomenon began in the 1970s when Gustave Leven, the chairman of French-based Source Perrier, sought to expand into the US market. At the time, his popular bottled water was already available in top US restaurants and hotels, but he realized the real profit potential lay in marketing it to everyday Americans.
Leven also understood that Americans would be reluctant to pay for bottled water since they could access it from their taps. In 1977, he spent between $2.5 to $5 million on television ads to position bottled water as a trendy, nonalcoholic beverage. He also sponsored several racing events, including the 1977 New York City Marathon. The rest, as they say, is history.
6. Cereals
Ever been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Or that skipping breakfast could harm your health? Or perhaps that vitamin-fortified cereals are the ideal breakfast option? You can thank advertisers for these beliefs.
Two hundred years ago, not everyone ate breakfast, and when they did, cereal was far from the menu. In the 19th-century United States, people ate nearly anything for breakfast, often leftover dinner or eggs. Eggs were an ideal choice because they were quick to prepare, and hens laid them in the morning.
However, things changed with the rise of religion and advertising during the Industrial Revolution. People began moving away from farms and into factory jobs. Complaints about indigestion soon emerged, often blamed on the heavy breakfasts they were eating.
The reality was that factory workers didn't require as much food because their work was less physically demanding than farm labor. But members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church stepped in, creating ‘healthier’ cornflakes to address indigestion and other issues like masturbation.
Cereals became widely popular in the 1940s after the discovery of vitamins. Cereal companies added these vitamins to their products and marketed them as the ideal breakfast choice. To encourage more people to eat breakfast, they promoted it as the most important meal of the day.
The bacon-and-eggs industry wasn't about to let cereals dominate the market without a fight. Beech-Nut Packing Company, a leading bacon producer, hired Edward Bernays to position bacon as the perfect breakfast food. Bernays successfully convinced 5,000 doctors to endorse a protein-heavy breakfast as healthier than a lighter cereal one.
Bernays arranged for newspapers to publish these endorsements, presenting them as scientific studies. This strategy helped position bacon and eggs as another viable breakfast choice. Although it contradicted cereals as the ultimate breakfast, it reinforced the idea that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.
5. Popcorn
Popcorn gained popularity in the United States during the 1800s, though it was not sold in theaters at first. Initially, theaters catered to the wealthy, and owners were concerned about popcorn damaging their expensive carpets.
The shift began in 1927 when more people from lower-income backgrounds started attending cinemas. These moviegoers often brought bags of popcorn, likely the only affordable snack they could get. Popcorn vendors quickly recognized the opportunity and moved their stands closer to the theaters.
Theaters soon jumped on the popcorn bandwagon, charging vendors a fee for selling their products outside the theaters. Eventually, cinemas began producing their own popcorn, even running ads at the start and in the middle of movies, encouraging audiences to rush to the lobby and grab a bag. These ads played a significant role in boosting popcorn sales.
4. Toothpaste
While it's true that brushing your teeth is important, some believe that toothpaste isn't essential, as a toothbrush alone can do a sufficient job of cleaning teeth.
Tooth brushing wasn’t a widespread practice in the early 20th century. In fact, it was so uncommon that what we now consider to be poor dental health was standard. During World War I, the state of most US Army recruits' teeth was so bad that the Army deemed it a national security threat.
The culture of oral care in the United States shifted when Pepsodent enlisted the help of advertising expert Claude Hopkins to develop a campaign aimed at boosting toothpaste sales. Hopkins dove into his research and discovered that human teeth naturally accumulate a film. He noted that consuming foods like apples could naturally remove this film, much like brushing with toothpaste.
Hopkins successfully persuaded the public that this film was the culprit behind their lack of beautiful smiles. He recommended using Pepsodent toothpaste to achieve pristine teeth and a perfect smile. His campaign's success was a testament to Hopkins' skill in persuasion and the appeal of Pepsodent’s minty flavor.
At the time, most toothpastes lacked flavor and were quite bland. Pepsodent, however, introduced a refreshing mint taste, leaving users with a sensation of cleanliness. Soon, other companies followed suit, adding flavors to their toothpastes and incorporating foam, which customers associated with a thoroughly clean mouth.
3. Toilet Paper
Humans have been defecating since the beginning of our existence. And, presumably, we have always known we should clean up after ourselves. However, toilet paper as we know it did not exist in ancient times. People used a variety of materials such as water, sticks, sponges, grass, stones, shells, straw, pottery, corncobs, or anything else they could find to clean up.
The landscape began to change in the fifth century when the Chinese invented the first version of toilet paper. However, the concept of toilet paper didn't reach the United States until 1857, when Joseph Gayetty introduced his version. Despite his efforts, the product failed to gain traction, even though Gayetty marketed it as an ideal solution for individuals suffering from hemorrhoids.
At the time, people didn't see a reason to purchase toilet paper when they had plenty of alternatives like old magazines, flyers, newspapers, and other similar materials. Additionally, Gayetty faced a communication challenge, as topics like pooping were rarely discussed in public at the time.
Toilet paper became a commercial success in 1867 when brothers Thomas, Clarence, and Edward Scott introduced the first rolled toilet paper. Their success grew in tandem with the rising popularity of flush toilets and a shift in social attitudes, with people becoming more open to discussing the process of pooping. Soon, toilet paper evolved into a status symbol.
2. Almost Every Holiday Out There
Almost every day of the year is designated as a holiday, commemorating some event or another. Many of these are considered Hallmark holidays—essentially, holidays created to boost sales for businesses. These holidays are named after Hallmark Cards, Inc., which produces greeting cards for virtually every occasion.
There are many holidays like Sweetest Day, which was created by a candy company with the sole purpose of increasing candy sales. Others include Tax Day, Clergy Appreciation Day, National Boss Day, and Ferris Wheel Day. Interestingly, the commercial trend has even extended to traditional holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, and Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day is among the most commercialized of holidays. It was originally proposed by Anna Jarvis in the early 1900s to honor all mothers. In May 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared it a national holiday in the United States. However, the holiday soon became a nightmare for Jarvis as she witnessed businesses create an array of products for Mother's Day.
Jarvis saw this as a sign of greed, as the holiday was meant to focus on mothers. She attempted to have the holiday canceled but was unsuccessful despite using press releases, threatening lawsuits, organizing protests, and meeting with US presidents. Today, US businesses continue to earn billions of dollars from Mother’s Day every year.
1. Teeth Whitening
White teeth are considered ideal, yet they are not necessarily the norm. In fact, human teeth are naturally light yellow, not white. Therefore, yellow teeth are actually normal, while white teeth are somewhat abnormal. Nonetheless, advertisers have successfully convinced us that white is the standard, and yellow is undesirable.
Our teeth appear yellow because the dentine underneath the enamel has a yellowish hue. Dentine is the inner layer of the tooth, sitting below the enamel, which itself has a white, slightly bluish tint. The enamel is translucent, allowing the yellow dentine to show through.
Many teeth-whitening advertisements today insist that yellow teeth are abnormal. These companies often advertise on social media platforms like Instagram, where they pay influencers to promote their products.
The main ingredient in most teeth-whitening products is hydrogen peroxide, a liquid that penetrates the enamel and reaches the dentine. There, it breaks down the compounds responsible for the yellowish tint. However, some worry that hydrogen peroxide could harm the enamel and lead to other long-term or short-term dental issues.
