DeepSummary
The episode discusses various instances where companies were able to double their profits by making small, seemingly insignificant changes. Examples include an ad writer who increased sales by changing one word in a headline, General Mills doubling profits by changing the Betty Crocker logo to a spoon, and Alka-Seltzer's sales skyrocketing after adopting the 'plop, plop, fizz, fizz' tagline that encouraged people to use two tablets instead of one.
Other examples highlighted include shampoo companies adding 'rinse and repeat' to bottles to get people to use more product, a malfunctioning Polaroid camera demo leading to a sales surge, and a surfing creative director's laid-back Malibu vibe inspiring a hit ad campaign for California Cooler wine coolers. The episode emphasizes how small tweaks can sometimes lead to outsized impacts on a company's bottom line.
The narrator also recounts how association with pop culture icons like The Beatles boosted brands like Ludwig drums and Rolling Stone magazine. Overall, the episode underscores that while doubling profits is extremely difficult, creative marketing tactics and capitalizing on serendipitous circumstances can occasionally spark windfall gains.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Small, seemingly insignificant marketing tweaks can sometimes lead to massive sales or profit increases for companies.
- Associating a product with popular culture phenomena like hit songs or celebrity endorsements can provide a big boost.
- Chance occurrences or mistakes highlighted in the media can unexpectedly turn a product into a must-have item.
- Catchy jingles and taglines that tap into consumer psychology can convince people to use more of a product.
- Rethinking packaging design with motivational research in mind can revitalize a stagnant brand.
- Testing slight variations of advertisements can optimize headlines and copy for maximum sales impact.
- Creative marketing tactics often defy conventional wisdom but can pay huge dividends.
- Capitalizing on serendipitous circumstances requires an opportunistic mindset from companies.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Double your pleasure, double your fun with double good, double good, double mint gum.“ by Terry O'Reilly
- “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz oh, what a relief it is plop, plop, fizz, fizz.“ by Terry O'Reilly
- “The designer suggested one small change, that the round red Betty Crocker logo be turned into a red spoon instead, believing that it would be the most effective image for Betty Crocker. Sales doubled in less than six months.“ by Terry O'Reilly
- “When you're hungry, you're in good hands. With Austin.“ by Terry O'Reilly
Entities
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Episode Information
Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly
Apostrophe Podcast Network
6/8/24
Every company dreams of doubling its profit.
It’s almost impossible to do.
Yet, some companies do it by tweaking one tiny thing.
We’ll talk about an industry that put three words on their packaging that doubled their profit.
A company that created a catchy jingle that doubled their revenue overnight.
And a business that changed one single word in a headline and their profit went up 100%.
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