Humans have used marketing for centuries to sell their products and publicize their services, but when marketing campaigns are huge and fierce, they not only control the consumer’s desires, but also shape their culture and daily lifestyle. Let’s find an example together with this article.
How did marketing invented orange juice?
Necessity is the mother of invention
At the beginning of the twentieth century, citrus producers in California, who united in a cooperative in the late nineteenth century in the name of the California Fruit Growers Exchange, experienced a significant increase in production after the newly planted trees paid off, yielding five times greater than previous seasons.
The supply was much greater than market demand, as producers were unable to record satisfactory profits and intended to destroy a portion of the agricultural area so that production was appropriate to demand.
In 1904, the producers decided to resort to a large-scale marketing plan that might succeed in selling the product without resorting to sacrificing part of the agricultural area.
The marketing agency that California dealt with was “Lord & Thomas”, and it was one of the first and best marketing agencies in the world, and Albert Lasker, known as the father of modern marketing, was active in it.
The parties didn’t agree on the price, the agency asked for $ 3,000 for the experimental marketing plan, and the producers found this figure too high!
California’s citrus trade continued to fluctuate with the rule of supply and demand, and material losses were constraining producers, so CFGE board officials returned to Chicago to negotiate with the agency again.
The council allowed spending $ 10,000 to test the effectiveness of marketing in solving the problem, but in parallel, they contacted the Southern Pacific Railway company that was financially benefiting from delivering citrus fruits from California to other states, and both parties agreed that the railroad company would spend the same amount to support this campaign For its part, this is how history marked the first large-scale marketing campaign for “Perishable commodity”!
Marketing Magic
The agency’s first step in marketing the product was to suggest a brand that combined all CFGE products, but the board did not accept the dissolution of individual differences in each person’s product under one name.
The pilot plan agreed by the three parties is the marketing of Californian oranges in Iowa in the first weeks of March under the slogan “Iowa Orange Week”; This month usually coincides with the citrus production peak, which is why he was chosen to launch the marketing campaign and hold the festive week.
The plan also targeted this state precisely because its residents were known for their frequent trips to California in winter to enjoy their days off there, so California acid products were not alien to the target audience.
The agency used an attractive poster depicting “Miss California” offering fresh orange kernels to another girl wrapped in winter clothing as an expression of Iowa.
The agency also promoted the product with seductive slogans such as “Oranges for health. California for wealth – Orange Health, California for wealth. ”
This marketing campaign was a great success, as California orange sales increased 50% in Iowa, and 17.7% in other states.
Thus, the Producers’ Council was convinced of the marketing strategy, accepted the use of a unified brand “Sunkist” for their products, and entered into other marketing agreements with the agency at higher prices, and their profits rose at a rapid pace that no one expected.
In 1914, every American consumed about 40 oranges per year, which represents an increase in consumption of 80% compared to 1885.
Orange to drink
Sunkist hired a man named Don Fransisco to inspect fruit shipments in Chicago. In the summer of 1914, he embarked on a new business, wandering between sellers and merchants to inquire about the specifications of oranges and lemons that people search for and order frequently, and then Francisco informs the marketing official of the information he collected.
Over time, he comes to his mind that sales of oranges will rise sharply if people consume one or more oranges to make a fresh drink.
Working with the Albert Lasker Marketing Agency, Francisco developed a simple glass juicer for home use, and an electric appliance suitable for stores, and that’s how orange juice was invented!
In 1916, new marketing campaigns were launched under the slogan: “Drink orange”, “The best nature drinks”, “Pure orange juice”, and it was also promoted to orange as a juice suitable for infants and that doctors recommend it for health.
In this way, the company sold 70,000 consumer juicers, 140,000 electric juicers, and more than 3 million simple glass juicers, and the amount of orange consumption in the United States of America almost doubled.
Orange juice in American culture today:
Nobody can deny the status of orange juice on the American breakfast table and in many other countries, and there are a huge number of people who cannot dispense with a fresh cup of juice to start their day .. We now know how this value was not gained by the orange color fruit thanks to its nutritional benefits only , But thanks to many years of intense marketing and serving the material interests of specific entities.
