1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so much 3 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,559 Speaker 1: for tuning in. Let's give a shout out to our 4 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:37,839 Speaker 1: super producer, mister Max Williams. Oh you know him, you 5 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:40,840 Speaker 1: love him. My one and only co hosts, mister Noel Brown. 6 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: They called me, they call me Ben Noel. We ran 7 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: into uh we ran into an interesting situation with a 8 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: lovely two part episode on the history of music sampling 9 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: last week. And at the very beginning, man, we we 10 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: did the like a classic Ridiculous History joke, right fake out, Yeah, 11 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 1: the fake out, and we didn't one of us always 12 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: does one of those fake outs if we can. And uh, 13 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: I think we got to our pal mat dude, Oh yeah, 14 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:14,200 Speaker 1: it'll it'll happen. We're pretty Uh, we kind of insist 15 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: upon ourselves. We push, uh And yeah, I think we 16 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: made some toothpick jokes, tiny cubes of cheese, et cetera. 17 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:26,959 Speaker 1: And we even I mean we literally, Yeah, we had 18 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:29,839 Speaker 1: a little sub conversation before we got into the real 19 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: deal about the history of sampling and music, about you know, 20 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 1: the different types of free samples that you get, Like, 21 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: say you know, you and I like to go to 22 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: a lot of Asian grocery stores out on Beuford Highway 23 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: here we live, and they'll have little tiny cups of 24 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: noodle soups or like you said, kimchi or whatever it 25 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 1: might be. And then you've got you know, your run 26 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: of the mill Kroger, like some new brand of whatever. 27 00:01:55,240 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: It might be thin rice, cracker, free mac and cheese, yeah. 28 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 2: Exactly, or balls perhaps, And sometimes it'll be you know, 29 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 2: someone actually grilling some tiny portions of meats which had 30 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 2: a little idea. It does feel a little extra, doesn't that. 31 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 2: Like then just getting you know, a cold piece of 32 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 2: cheese or something like that, but a. 33 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 3: Little George Foreman some kind of hot play. 34 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 2: It also feels like it has a little bit more 35 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 2: let's just call it, I don't know, grandiosity to it. 36 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 2: It's a little more of an event. And then certain 37 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 2: grocery stores get reputations for being the one to go 38 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 2: to for the best free samples, like our beloved Trader 39 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 2: Joe's Trader. 40 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: Joe's h Mart on a Saturday, which is considered a 41 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: Korean grocery stores where you go to get a lot 42 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,640 Speaker 1: of cool, fresh ingredients. You might not find somewhere else, 43 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: and they do it big with the samples. College Age 44 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 1: Ben Bullen owes you h Mart Empire a huge thank you, 45 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: as well as Trader Joe's Good Calinel, because you helped 46 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: me not pay for lunch for many years. I'm still 47 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: a little embarrassed when I see it, because at H 48 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: Mart they're always going to have someone cooking this stuff too, 49 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,239 Speaker 1: and I have to I stand there. 50 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 2: Well, like I said, it's sort of a mark of 51 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 2: a little bit more expertise than someone just holding out 52 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 2: a cup, and you got to give them props where 53 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 2: props are doing. Last little aside about our personal experience 54 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 2: of the free samples, I used to work at a 55 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 2: guitar shop in Augusta, Georgia, and there's this cute little 56 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:28,960 Speaker 2: lady named Miss Tabor, and she would always send us 57 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 2: across the street for us young young fellows who worked there. 58 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 2: We were like, you know, in high school. To get 59 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 2: She would describe, go to fresh market, give me one 60 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 2: of those little cups of coffee. 61 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. 62 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 2: At the fresh market, their whole thing was sampling all 63 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 2: of their different coffees and these tiny little mouth wash 64 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 2: cups and she wanted us to fetch her one in 65 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 2: our car, and I mean to transport one of those, 66 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 2: you know, like the cup holders. I hate to tell 67 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 2: you are not meant for these little cups of coffee. 68 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 2: So we'd be lucky if we and scald ourselves, you know, 69 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 2: on the journey back. 70 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,120 Speaker 1: And so a few days after we do these jokes, 71 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: a few days after we have recorded our two part 72 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: episode on sampling shout out to our research associate Jeff Bartlett, 73 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: Max comes back and says, hey, guys, this, Uh did 74 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: you didn't out out and out say it got to you, 75 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:23,720 Speaker 1: but you said, hey, guys, recently when we talked about sampling, 76 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 1: you kept joking that the episode was not about music 77 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:32,840 Speaker 1: but free samples. So you know what, Max, beat me here, 78 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,599 Speaker 1: here's your freaking episode on free samples. 79 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 3: Man. Nobody directly you do this, No one did. 80 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 2: I want to just say I finished editing and then 81 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 2: I immediately sat down. 82 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 3: And wrote this brief out. There was no period between, like, 83 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 3: I didn't do anything between. It went one to one 84 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 3: right there. Well, I love that. 85 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 2: And the last thing before we really dive into this topic, 86 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 2: which is is a lot deeper than you might think, 87 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:58,480 Speaker 2: I just realized we never said one thing in the 88 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 2: history of sampling. In music episodes, we talked about the 89 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 2: fair Light sampler or the fair Light you know, music 90 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 2: computer that a lot of luminarias used in the eighties, 91 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 2: big old touchscreen thing with like a light pen they 92 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:14,679 Speaker 2: called it. That is where the term sampling came from. 93 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 2: Was that company. Basically the creators of the Fairlight started 94 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 2: using the term sample as referring to the little units 95 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 2: of sales. 96 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 3: That's good. 97 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I rewatched the Quest Love hip Hop stuff, 98 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: and we talked about cool Hirk. But really, if you 99 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 1: want the full story, to check out that drunk history. 100 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 3: It's just a it holds up. He's such a good storyteller. Okay. 101 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 1: Free samples as food, everybody knows the score. I think 102 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 1: these days they're considered one of the most reliable tactics 103 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:51,160 Speaker 1: you can use to bolster sales of a product, especially 104 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:53,719 Speaker 1: if it's a new thing on the market and people 105 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,640 Speaker 1: might not want to spend you know, five, ten whatever 106 00:05:56,680 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 1: dollars to purchase it. And Carl Small, writing for Today 107 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 1: I found out dot com says, quote, you see, free 108 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: samples don't just work because they give customers a chance 109 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 1: to try something without the barrier of cost stopping them. 110 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 1: But they also take advantage of the fact that humans 111 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: seem hardwired to and this is true. Guys feel like 112 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: we should do something in return when someone does something 113 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:23,679 Speaker 1: for us. This is why if people sell you stuff 114 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:27,000 Speaker 1: on the street, they try to hand you something and 115 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 1: get you to hold it. At some point, there was 116 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:35,160 Speaker 1: a I don't maybe want to use the hard sea word, 117 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: but there was a commune that used to send operatives 118 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: out in little Five Points, kind of bohemian esque area 119 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 1: in Atlanta back in the day. This place was called 120 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: Zendig Farms. And what Zendic Farms would do is they 121 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: would send people that they thought were charming or attractive 122 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 1: and already in their organization that I'm not explicitly calling 123 00:06:56,839 --> 00:06:59,279 Speaker 1: a cult. They would talk about how great Zendic Farms 124 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 1: is for creatives and so on. It would hand you 125 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 1: a CD. They would hand you like a newsletter, zine 126 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,479 Speaker 1: or something, and as you said, okay, well that's great, 127 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:09,040 Speaker 1: I hope you have a great day. You know, super 128 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 1: interest I'm going to go, they would say, oh, and 129 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: it's a donation of twenty five dollars for the CD. 130 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 3: Right, it's not a donation. 131 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:19,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, sort of like a in theory, a pay what 132 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 2: you will thing, which is even you know music, right, 133 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 2: Like when Radio Ahead came out with In Rainbows, they 134 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 2: did like a pay what you will model, and I 135 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 2: don't think they released the amount of money they made 136 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 2: on it, but I would be willing to bet that 137 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 2: most people, if they had it and were a fan 138 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 2: of Radiohead, would give a little bit, you know, chip 139 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:41,240 Speaker 2: a little bit in just for the for the privilege 140 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 2: of having this basically free album. 141 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 3: It's also a tactic that's used pretty. 142 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 2: I don't know, arguably for better or for worse, spending 143 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,200 Speaker 2: on you who you are with, like NPR pledge drives 144 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 2: the sort of make you feel like, hey, you know 145 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 2: that whole year of stuff we've been giving you for free, Well, 146 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 2: now's the time to pay it forward or to pay 147 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 2: back into the system. 148 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 3: You gotta give, You gotta. 149 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: Give, a lot of people give. So the other sith 150 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 1: Lord version of this would be unscrupulous actors like timeshare salespeople. Right, 151 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:17,200 Speaker 1: they offer you a free vacation so they can get 152 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 1: you for four or five hours. But yeah, there's a 153 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: weird psychological thing that works pretty much across humanity. Sampling 154 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:29,119 Speaker 1: or giving out free samples is a pretty innocuous way 155 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: to leverage that psychological phenomenon. And what's really cool here 156 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 1: is that there's more history to it than you might imagine. 157 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,479 Speaker 1: There's quite a story. Let's go back to Carl Smallwood, 158 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:47,199 Speaker 1: who says, Carl is arguing that our modern concept of 159 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: free samples, you know what we call free samples cheese 160 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 1: at the grocery store and so on, It seems pretty recent, 161 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: but the concept of free samples has been around since 162 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 1: what was that noll, like the fourteenth. 163 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 2: Century, Yeah, the fourteenth century indeed, And it is referenced 164 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:10,240 Speaker 2: in a poem by William Langland called Peer's Plowman, which 165 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 2: refers to the concept of a test for a newt, 166 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:18,720 Speaker 2: which in modern English would probably translate to something like 167 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 2: a taste for nought, you know, or for nothing. I 168 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:24,599 Speaker 2: said a newt. I kind of knew it was pronounced not, 169 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 2: but it's spelled differently. It's spelled nou h t. And 170 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 2: we know in those lilting old English poems they love 171 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:33,920 Speaker 2: a newt in a boot in the discute, you know, 172 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 2: and youth and youth and all that good stuff. 173 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, so you would In the poem, there's this line 174 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: about all these all these bar fires, basically going up 175 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:47,960 Speaker 1: to get a taste for nothing, with the idea that 176 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 1: if you wet your whistle a little bit, you'll say, okay, 177 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 1: I'll pay for the full pint or whatever. And this 178 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,559 Speaker 1: shows that for a long time, salespeople throughout different cultures 179 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: have known you give a little to get a little 180 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:04,319 Speaker 1: bit more right, And because it's so old, we as 181 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 1: a civilization have no idea who first came up with this. 182 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 1: Was there like a caveman who needed to sell some 183 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:15,560 Speaker 1: rocks and said, I'll give you a small rock for free, 184 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,200 Speaker 1: you know, like it's so basic and primal. But we 185 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:22,440 Speaker 1: do know there is one guy who could consider kind 186 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:28,479 Speaker 1: of one of the fathers of the modern version, Benjamin T. Babbitt, 187 00:10:28,679 --> 00:10:30,840 Speaker 1: which is a fun name, Babbitt. 188 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:38,880 Speaker 3: It's very it's a very fun name. 189 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:43,360 Speaker 2: He was born in the early nineteenth century, was an inventor, 190 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 2: a you know, forward thinker, a business type, was very wealthy, 191 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:55,079 Speaker 2: and was you know, quite highly regarded because he was 192 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:59,080 Speaker 2: really good at promoting his ideas, which I think, you know, 193 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:01,599 Speaker 2: it's one thing to be an idea man, you know, 194 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 2: or an idea person. But it's another thing to be 195 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:07,840 Speaker 2: able to single handedly have an amazing idea for an 196 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 2: innovation or whatever it is, but also then know how 197 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 2: to market it. And it's the rare combination of both 198 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:15,440 Speaker 2: of us skills that lead to like luminaries in this 199 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,680 Speaker 2: world like P. T. Barnum, you know, and stuff like that, 200 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 2: or perhaps Thomas Edison. You know, he also had a 201 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:25,680 Speaker 2: flair for the the the grand you know, in terms 202 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:28,839 Speaker 2: of like putting his product out there and being insisting 203 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:32,760 Speaker 2: that he be the center of attention regarding all of 204 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 2: that stuff Edison that is. 205 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:39,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, Edison also is far from a perfect guy. You 206 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:43,800 Speaker 1: could say he's a very effective popularizer, right, and that's 207 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 1: those are similar observations have been made by critics of 208 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 1: folks like Steve Jobs. But you're right, Selling the thing 209 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: is an entirely different skill set to creating the thing, 210 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: and it's fairly rare to see somebody who can do 211 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 1: both of those skill sets very well. This guy Babbitt, 212 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:04,760 Speaker 1: he's a soap boy who makes a name in the 213 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:07,400 Speaker 1: soap industry, but he has a lot of other patents 214 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:10,319 Speaker 1: because he's always working with a beautiful mind of his 215 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:15,839 Speaker 1: and you can see that He's respected for a ton 216 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:21,199 Speaker 1: of his prolific inventions, Like he worked a lot with powders. 217 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:24,040 Speaker 1: The way Danny DeVito and Always Sunny in Philadelphia is 218 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: into sledges. This guy was into powders. He made baking powder, 219 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 1: soap powder, other varieties of soap. 220 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:32,440 Speaker 2: And there was a time where powders was like the 221 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 2: way of the future, you know, was like, oh, it's portable, 222 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:36,199 Speaker 2: it's powders. 223 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:39,079 Speaker 3: You know, my god. It's sort of like the idea 224 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:41,800 Speaker 3: of like a meal in pill form. H we should 225 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 3: do a history of soap. 226 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:46,240 Speaker 1: Oh man, that's a weird one for a device, for 227 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 1: an invention meant to keep you clean. 228 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:50,080 Speaker 3: Soap has a dirty past. 229 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,720 Speaker 2: No questions, I mean them, not to mention, you know, 230 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:56,360 Speaker 2: the whole how it was made. Yeah, human bodies and 231 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 2: stuff like that. 232 00:12:57,280 --> 00:12:58,000 Speaker 3: But we digress. 233 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 2: The idea here for something is so here's you make 234 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:04,240 Speaker 2: a good point, Ben, because soap is an age old technology, 235 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:08,080 Speaker 2: let's call it. So how does someone set their age 236 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:12,000 Speaker 2: old technology aside from like the millions or however many 237 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:15,920 Speaker 2: you know, many dozens at the time of other available 238 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:20,120 Speaker 2: products that are exactly the same on the market. You know, 239 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 2: a lot of bluster can help you know, marketing, let's 240 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 2: call it right, Maybe I'm maybe How do I really 241 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:27,000 Speaker 2: feel about marketing? 242 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a little bit. 243 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's some bravado involved in, like, you know, talking 244 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:34,560 Speaker 2: a big game about your product. But it's another thing 245 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:37,440 Speaker 2: to literally, maybe not literally, but put your money where 246 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,040 Speaker 2: your mouth is say well, hey, you know I've said 247 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 2: these things. You can believe me or not, but the 248 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 2: proof is in the pudding or the tiny cube of soap. 249 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:47,960 Speaker 1: He really did it. I think your other money he 250 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 1: literally did it. He is now credited as the first 251 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: person to not only sell soap in individual bars, but 252 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:58,680 Speaker 1: to do like an ice cream truck with it. He 253 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: would make these really visually striking, bright colorful street cars 254 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:06,200 Speaker 1: and they would drive around town and they would be 255 00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:10,560 Speaker 1: followed by these musicians who had these custom songs about 256 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 1: how amazing babbit soap was. And then as people would 257 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 1: come out into the streets to see what the hubbub was, 258 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 1: he would give away bars of soap, literally hand them 259 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 1: to people, and they had different packaging than the ones 260 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 1: you bought in the store. All the packaging had was 261 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: a tagline that you know, like words of Babbit that 262 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:31,480 Speaker 1: said a. 263 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:33,000 Speaker 3: Fan trial is all I ask. 264 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:35,640 Speaker 1: And then you know, people aren't gonna throw the soap back. 265 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: It's free soap. 266 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:37,640 Speaker 3: It's free soap. 267 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:39,840 Speaker 2: And also you got to think, now we think of 268 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 2: these kinds of let's call it a marketing stunt, you know, 269 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:43,880 Speaker 2: as like annoying. 270 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:45,440 Speaker 3: Oh god, you know what I. 271 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:47,160 Speaker 2: Mean, We get it. We know what this is about. 272 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 2: You're trying to sell us something at the time. This 273 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 2: is like a free parade, you know what I mean, 274 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:55,520 Speaker 2: like with the accompanying free stuff. I always think of 275 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:58,240 Speaker 2: like the Joker and the Tim Burton Batman, you know, 276 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:01,800 Speaker 2: like throwing Joker bucks out to the crowd. 277 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 3: Of them all. See. I have a very dark view 278 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 3: of my marketing strategies. 279 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:10,240 Speaker 2: But it's interesting, right because he really was you know, 280 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:13,000 Speaker 2: he had he had a service that was readily available 281 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:16,280 Speaker 2: in many other you know forms in terms of soap, 282 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:19,320 Speaker 2: but he differentiated it. And he also you know, was like, here, 283 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 2: try it out for yourself, see what you think. 284 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:24,360 Speaker 1: And people people loved it because he knew one of 285 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 1: the number one things that happens when you are shopping 286 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 1: is the association of familiarity. Right, we already I'm spending 287 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:38,120 Speaker 1: my hard earned Cheddar. Maybe on some Cheddar, I want 288 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:40,680 Speaker 1: to go with the cheese I recognize. So now he's 289 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: giving people a free experience. They're going to have a 290 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 1: positive association or connotation with this, and he is also 291 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 1: going to hit them. He's got to love bomb them 292 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:55,520 Speaker 1: with other advertising techniques. You know, he's got stuff like 293 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: a he kind of rips off cleanliness is godliness, or 294 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 1: puts a riff off and says cleanliness is the scale 295 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 1: of civilization. 296 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:03,480 Speaker 3: On packaging. 297 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:06,160 Speaker 1: If you're a customer, he will let you have a 298 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:08,880 Speaker 1: tour of the factory. And guess what that tour ends 299 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 1: with free samples? Bro Can I just say those. 300 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:14,960 Speaker 2: Taglines are very of their era, you know, because now 301 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 2: they're just I mean, they're just not pithy or zippy 302 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:20,360 Speaker 2: at all, you know, they're just they don't they seem 303 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 2: very like I am providing a valuable service to you, 304 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:26,760 Speaker 2: you know, like that is the that's that's the selling point, 305 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:29,720 Speaker 2: that's the elevator pitch. Now you gotta dress it up 306 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 2: and make it a lot more wow factory. But this 307 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:36,000 Speaker 2: worked and to the point where the name t BT 308 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 2: Babbitt became so ubiquitous that there's this you know, it's 309 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:42,880 Speaker 2: these kinds of stories or of the stuff of marketing legend, 310 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,280 Speaker 2: let's say, and you know very much, probably used by 311 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 2: the company for a long time and proliferated. But this 312 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:51,080 Speaker 2: idea that Babbitt came upon a humble shoe shine lad 313 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 2: whose name was also BT Babbitt. And the kid, apparently, 314 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 2: when told by BT Babbitt himself that his name was 315 00:16:58,800 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 2: also that said. 316 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,160 Speaker 3: Did your mama gets your name off of soapbox too? 317 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:04,560 Speaker 3: That cute story, what a cute store. 318 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,399 Speaker 2: But it's also like, nope, I'm a soap mogul and 319 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:07,920 Speaker 2: you're poor. 320 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,199 Speaker 3: Now shot in my shoes. I hope you tipped them, 321 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 3: ben Go. 322 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:14,960 Speaker 2: Probably true, Yeah, exactly. I'm the word that's used in 323 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:19,040 Speaker 2: the in the article that we're citing. Also from today 324 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:19,960 Speaker 2: I found out article. 325 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:21,040 Speaker 3: I do want to. 326 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:24,439 Speaker 1: Say that anecdote we weren't able to confirm it. It 327 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 1: does have the air of one of those off the 328 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,240 Speaker 1: cuff anecdotes that corporate types give when they're doing a 329 00:17:32,359 --> 00:17:35,560 Speaker 1: conference or a speech, like you know, what's what are 330 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:40,119 Speaker 1: we really selling? We're selling stories, right, and I'd like 331 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:44,400 Speaker 1: to tell you, well, oh, come on, they're not all lies. Uh, 332 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:47,760 Speaker 1: let's go to another version Coca Cola. Before we get 333 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:50,399 Speaker 1: into the grocery store, we're still not in grocery store 334 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:53,159 Speaker 1: free sample days. Before we get there, we got to 335 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:56,199 Speaker 1: talk about Coca Cola, which is an absolute juggernaut in 336 00:17:56,240 --> 00:18:00,160 Speaker 1: the world. And of course the hometown of Coca Cola 337 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 1: is the fair metropolis of Atlanta, which is I think 338 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:05,399 Speaker 1: a little bit more famous for being the hom of 339 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:07,520 Speaker 1: ridiculous history. But good hustle Coke. 340 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 2: Good hustle Man said thanks, Yes, this is all the 341 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:14,760 Speaker 2: way back in eighteen eighty six, I think many you know, 342 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 2: we've all heard the story. It was created by a 343 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:22,000 Speaker 2: pharmacist named John Stith Pemberton, which, of course the original 344 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:26,440 Speaker 2: formula I believe contained some amounts of cocaine, if I'm 345 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:27,119 Speaker 2: not mistaken. 346 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:29,160 Speaker 3: And also, yes, you heard that correctly. 347 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:34,120 Speaker 1: It's not Sith, it's Stith st I t h exactly. 348 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,840 Speaker 2: But he was definitely the lord of coke, the lord 349 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:41,680 Speaker 2: of syrup, because the recipe was syrup carbonated water. And 350 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:44,680 Speaker 2: again in the early versions of it there there were 351 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,520 Speaker 2: some stimulants. But like anything new, you know, people aren't 352 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:52,439 Speaker 2: immediately you know, drawn to new things. Maybe that's the 353 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:54,720 Speaker 2: case now everyone having to have the latest tech or 354 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:56,480 Speaker 2: the fastest thing or whatever. But back then there was 355 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,200 Speaker 2: a lot of suspicion around new things. 356 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:02,879 Speaker 3: You know, people like new things. They wanted the old ways. 357 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,800 Speaker 1: Well, also, this is a new kind of drink too, 358 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:10,600 Speaker 1: with this carbonation, these these different flavors. And yes it did. 359 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:15,960 Speaker 1: It did contain a little bit of a little bit 360 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:19,520 Speaker 1: of cocaine, I believe. But the thing is, because this 361 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:23,399 Speaker 1: is so new, and because there's so many other beverages 362 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: that people are familiar with, he's not able to sell 363 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 1: a lot of this. It costs a nickel for a glass, 364 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:35,720 Speaker 1: and you know, they're much smaller than the modern cans, 365 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: twelve ounce cans they would see today. But still he's 366 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:41,879 Speaker 1: only selling like nine drinks and a nickel a pop. 367 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,679 Speaker 1: He says, it's not sustainable. And here we see the 368 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:49,560 Speaker 1: interaction between the inventor and the marketer, right between the 369 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 1: Tesla and the Edison, as it were. There's an eighteen 370 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 1: eighty eight. Two years later, a guy named Aza Griggs 371 00:19:55,880 --> 00:20:01,000 Speaker 1: Candler buys the Coca Cola company and he says, you 372 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:05,240 Speaker 1: know what, I remember the idea of free drink tickets. 373 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:09,440 Speaker 1: It's something Pemberton's numbers guy introduced earlier, and he says, 374 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:11,439 Speaker 1: let's run with it, and there's a cool article you 375 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:16,480 Speaker 1: can read and wired about this. Candler is believed to 376 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:20,879 Speaker 1: have created the first ever coupon, and the coupon was simple, 377 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 1: go wherever Coca Cola is sold, hand them this little 378 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:28,439 Speaker 1: piece of script and boom, you saved yourself a nickel. 379 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:31,040 Speaker 1: You got a glass of Coca cola. We'll see you 380 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 1: again soon. 381 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 3: Goodwill earned ching. 382 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:39,680 Speaker 1: Just so and these like They continue this program from 383 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:43,360 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety four to nineteen thirteen. They mail out coupons 384 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 1: to drug stores, random customers if they had their addresses, 385 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 1: because remember this before the day of big data and 386 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:55,680 Speaker 1: Coca Cola itself estimates that during that two decades, one 387 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:58,600 Speaker 1: in nine people in the United States were given a 388 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,680 Speaker 1: free drink because of these coupons. And although they were, 389 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:05,000 Speaker 1: you know, sensibly losing a nickel every time, they were 390 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:08,199 Speaker 1: making so much more money because people kept buying. And 391 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:10,000 Speaker 1: you know what this reminds me of now, I don't 392 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:12,520 Speaker 1: know if they had this, because you grew up in Augusta, Ray, 393 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:15,800 Speaker 1: I don't know if they had this there. Coca Cola 394 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:20,360 Speaker 1: always in the Georgia area would do these things where 395 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: you could you could twist off the top of a 396 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:25,639 Speaker 1: soda bottle, you might get a free coke, or you 397 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:27,719 Speaker 1: would get a code that you could put on a 398 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:30,399 Speaker 1: Coca Cola account that would earn you stuff in the 399 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:34,560 Speaker 1: Coca Cola co store. Online they would give you free 400 00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 1: Six Flags tickets or discolates. You've got a can. They're 401 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:40,720 Speaker 1: still doing it. It's still a coupons. 402 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:41,560 Speaker 3: They're in league. 403 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:44,199 Speaker 2: They're in cahoots the six Flags and the Cokes of 404 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:46,680 Speaker 2: the world. Not to be confused with the Coke Brothers, 405 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:48,680 Speaker 2: but it's true. I mean that idea of the coupon 406 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:50,959 Speaker 2: is also a way this is a little bit more modern, 407 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,000 Speaker 2: but that a lot of breweries here in Atlanta got 408 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:57,640 Speaker 2: around being able to sell beer directly of the public. 409 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:00,359 Speaker 2: They would have this little coupon s that's right, you know, 410 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,440 Speaker 2: And that's actually something that's still used in places where 411 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:07,119 Speaker 2: marijuana sale is like somewhat legal but not fully legal. 412 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:09,879 Speaker 3: They'll like give you a little card. 413 00:22:10,119 --> 00:22:14,280 Speaker 2: And then you kind of like get the marijuana product 414 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:15,120 Speaker 2: as a free. 415 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:19,080 Speaker 1: Gift or like yeah, yeah, I remember those. There's another one. 416 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:22,800 Speaker 1: Because these kind of strategies happen all around the world. 417 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:23,200 Speaker 3: Folks. 418 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:28,640 Speaker 1: There's another one in the Netherlands where cannabis laws are 419 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:30,879 Speaker 1: a little bit less restrictive, but they still have these 420 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:33,280 Speaker 1: strange legal hoops that. 421 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:34,760 Speaker 3: Folks have to jump through. 422 00:22:35,119 --> 00:22:38,040 Speaker 1: You can go to what's called a cafe where you 423 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:43,080 Speaker 1: can get drinks like coffee, alcoholic beverages, juices, whatever, and 424 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:47,600 Speaker 1: then you can also consume cannabis in that cafe. But 425 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:51,640 Speaker 1: that cafe can't sell you cannabis. You literally go across 426 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 1: the street to this other place that only sells that. 427 00:22:55,720 --> 00:23:00,080 Speaker 1: And the same guy owns both of them, right that 428 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:03,120 Speaker 1: the same staff, you know. So back to these coupons, 429 00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:06,080 Speaker 1: we know they work. By nineteen thirteen, and this is 430 00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:11,119 Speaker 1: again per Coca Cola themselves, eight point five million people 431 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:17,600 Speaker 1: used these coupons, eight point five million free doses glasses 432 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:23,320 Speaker 1: of Coca Cola servingst's servings. There we go and fast forward. 433 00:23:24,119 --> 00:23:27,440 Speaker 1: This is a huge part of the engine that drove 434 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:32,560 Speaker 1: Coca Cola to sell one point nine billion drinks per 435 00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:38,920 Speaker 1: day in over two hundred countries by twenty twenty. Geography nerds, Jeff, 436 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:41,560 Speaker 1: if you're listening, I clocked it as well. You'll find 437 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:45,879 Speaker 1: this interesting. The United Nations only recognized as about one 438 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:48,240 Speaker 1: hundred and ninety two or one hundred and ninety three countries. 439 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:51,280 Speaker 1: So Coca Cola is selling in countries that the UN 440 00:23:51,359 --> 00:23:52,520 Speaker 1: doesn't recognize. 441 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:54,760 Speaker 3: That's the same. 442 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:59,040 Speaker 2: That's pretty interesting, not to mention, you know, the fact 443 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:01,920 Speaker 2: that remember how Cola kind of got around like even 444 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 2: like war issues by making Fanta in Germany because of 445 00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:07,119 Speaker 2: these like apple scraps. 446 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 3: Anyway, we're just Coca Cola's figured it out. 447 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,560 Speaker 2: They cracked the code, and they did that partially with 448 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:17,240 Speaker 2: the help of free samples. Another empire, a product empire 449 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:21,119 Speaker 2: that did that is the Wriggly Empire. You may know 450 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,879 Speaker 2: it because of the titular field in Chicago, or you 451 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:27,119 Speaker 2: may know it from like a stick of juicy fruit. 452 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:37,720 Speaker 1: Okay, so we'll start in the late eighteen sixties. This guy, 453 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,600 Speaker 1: William Wrigley Junior, he's a little bit of a Denis 454 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: the Menace character, Grow it up. He's a rap scallion. 455 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:48,360 Speaker 1: He runs away from home, he gets expelled from school 456 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:51,120 Speaker 1: when they pull him back, and so he gets sent 457 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:54,800 Speaker 1: to work in his father's soap factory. Soap has done 458 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:59,880 Speaker 1: a lot for free samples, and he eventually says, look, 459 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:03,280 Speaker 1: this isn't for me. He's very young at this time, 460 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:05,640 Speaker 1: by the way, he's like thirteen. So he says, look, 461 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 1: I'm not a soapman. I don't need to be out 462 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:14,000 Speaker 1: here stirring vat's all day, old man, Wriggly Junior. I'll 463 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:16,800 Speaker 1: stay in the system, but I'm an agent of change. 464 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:21,560 Speaker 1: So he becomes a child soap salesman for his dad 465 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: and he creates like he just liked Babbitt before him. 466 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 1: He has a flair for this. He knows how to 467 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:30,840 Speaker 1: put on the show that results in the sale. 468 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's another one of these apocryphal kind of stories 469 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:37,600 Speaker 2: of the idea that Wrigley Junior, who started the William 470 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 2: Wrigley Junior Company in eighteen ninety one, had a smile, 471 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:44,480 Speaker 2: you know, a song in his heart and thirty two 472 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:47,680 Speaker 2: dollars in his pocket and he founded a company off 473 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:50,560 Speaker 2: of nothing but good old fashioned you know, stick to 474 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:52,040 Speaker 2: itiveness and moxie. 475 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:52,400 Speaker 3: Right. 476 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:58,479 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean whether or not that is true, and 477 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:03,400 Speaker 1: it's probably not. He definitely had other money, right, because 478 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 1: it's kind of like when you hear a lot of 479 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,960 Speaker 1: business moguls say, hey, I started from nothing, you know. 480 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:11,960 Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, I had to sell off 481 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:15,879 Speaker 1: some of the class A stock that my grandfather gave me. 482 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:19,240 Speaker 1: These were tough times. It's not quite the same, you 483 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:22,720 Speaker 1: know what I mean. Drake didn't really start from the bottom. 484 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: And that's not to take away from their success. It's 485 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 1: just the thing that needs to be acknowledged. As we found. 486 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:33,159 Speaker 1: Wrigley Junior may have had his thirty two dollars, but 487 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:38,080 Speaker 1: it was definitely added to the five thousand dollars check 488 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,240 Speaker 1: that his uncle gave him, which if we want to 489 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:48,399 Speaker 1: inflation calculate, runs to about dude, moot one hundred and 490 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:50,080 Speaker 1: thirty thousand dollars today. 491 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:54,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's like you know Trump startup money, right, you 492 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:56,800 Speaker 2: know he anyway. 493 00:26:57,080 --> 00:26:59,719 Speaker 3: It's no, but but he didn't. But he made it. 494 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:01,920 Speaker 3: He made made it go, He made it go go go. 495 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:04,840 Speaker 1: No, but he didn't start with gum, right, because if 496 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:08,280 Speaker 1: you're if you're a sportsperson, you associate Wrigley with Wrigley Field. 497 00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:11,480 Speaker 1: If you're not, you I always assume people associate them 498 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:11,679 Speaker 1: with the. 499 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:15,760 Speaker 2: Gum oh one hundred percent good old juicy fruit good stuff. 500 00:27:16,119 --> 00:27:21,439 Speaker 2: And it's basically the same branding and I think roughly 501 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:23,639 Speaker 2: the same recipe is it's always been, you know, for 502 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:24,760 Speaker 2: a very very long time. 503 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:26,479 Speaker 3: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. 504 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:29,199 Speaker 1: In all of that, but he didn't start with gum. 505 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:31,960 Speaker 1: He started, and this is almost I wonder if his 506 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:35,639 Speaker 1: dad took it as an active betrayal. He started selling soap, 507 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:39,000 Speaker 1: and it's like, hey, come on, son, I own a 508 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:39,800 Speaker 1: soap factory. 509 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:40,360 Speaker 3: What are you doing. 510 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:45,600 Speaker 1: He followed in Babbitt's footsteps a lot, and he also said, look, 511 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:49,840 Speaker 1: I know that people might not want to carry my goods. 512 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:50,560 Speaker 3: I'm the new. 513 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:54,360 Speaker 1: Kid on the block, and I am in a market 514 00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: that has low profit margins, and there are a lot 515 00:27:57,320 --> 00:27:59,239 Speaker 1: of other soap makers out there. There are a lot 516 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:04,359 Speaker 1: of other people and soap. So he starts giving away stuff. 517 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:06,720 Speaker 1: But he doesn't just give away like bars of soap 518 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:09,160 Speaker 1: that say, hey, give me a fair shot. He gives 519 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:12,000 Speaker 1: away baking powder. People still love powder to your point, 520 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:18,680 Speaker 1: for sure. He gives away umbrellas. Uh he's a weird turn. Yeah, 521 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:21,240 Speaker 1: I guess he just got a good deal on some umbrellas, 522 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 1: you know. And so the thing that really helps him 523 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:29,800 Speaker 1: is that baking powder is experiencing this vogue. 524 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:30,960 Speaker 3: It's in the zeitgeist. 525 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:34,400 Speaker 1: If you're giving away free baking powder, quite by accident. 526 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: Probably you're giving away something that is now seen is 527 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:38,880 Speaker 1: pretty neat and valuable. 528 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:41,600 Speaker 2: Well, he was a good way of market testing, right 529 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:45,760 Speaker 2: like you would see which giveaway was the most popular, 530 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:48,840 Speaker 2: and then ultimately figured out how to kind of pivot, 531 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:52,080 Speaker 2: as they say, you know his business, right, yeah. 532 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:53,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's a great way to put it. So 533 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:57,640 Speaker 1: the baking powder became a huge hit, and people were 534 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 1: requesting the baking powder more than they requesting the soap. 535 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: Like in the story about ranch dressing, how people would 536 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:06,640 Speaker 1: go to Hidden Valley and say, hey, we don't want 537 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 1: a vacation at your dude ranch, but we want some 538 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:14,600 Speaker 1: of that special sauce. So he goes like, just like 539 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:17,840 Speaker 1: you said, man, he says, okay, we're not gonna make soap. 540 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:21,400 Speaker 1: We'll have some soap if people want it, but now 541 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 1: we're baking powder people. 542 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 2: Okay, So now he's making baking powder, but he's also 543 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:30,320 Speaker 2: still looking for other giveaway items. You know, you mentioned umbrellas. 544 00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:34,400 Speaker 2: Chewing gum became very popular one, in fact, so popular 545 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,120 Speaker 2: that he decided, you know what, maybe this baking powder 546 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:40,840 Speaker 2: thing isn't quite what the hot new buzz on the 547 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:41,520 Speaker 2: street is. 548 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 3: It's chewing gum. 549 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:46,520 Speaker 2: Now, so he flipped once again and entirely pivoted his 550 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:48,000 Speaker 2: business to chewing gum. 551 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:51,240 Speaker 3: And that's the Wrigley company that we know today. 552 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:54,240 Speaker 1: Which is a strange story, right, it's not one that 553 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:56,960 Speaker 1: I think a lot of people know when they buy 554 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 1: chewing gum. And the gum that he was selling was 555 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:04,880 Speaker 1: manufactured by a place called Zeno Company. And Zeno was 556 00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:10,120 Speaker 1: doing the typical manufacturing process for chewing gum at the time, 557 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:13,640 Speaker 1: which is they used paraffin and spruce and then they 558 00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:16,520 Speaker 1: would add other ingredients. Right, he changed the game, and 559 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:18,440 Speaker 1: he changed the recipe, said let's stick out. 560 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:19,200 Speaker 3: He sure did. 561 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:23,200 Speaker 2: And I mentioned juicy fruits because that was the kind 562 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:25,160 Speaker 2: of first I mean, if you hear about you think 563 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:29,960 Speaker 2: paraffin and spruce. I guess the spruce is gonna be 564 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:34,120 Speaker 2: kind of a minty vibe perhaps, but that doesn't sound 565 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:37,680 Speaker 2: super appetizing. It sounds like to me more the chewiness 566 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:41,280 Speaker 2: of the gum was the novelty that stuck. Yeah, for 567 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 2: you know, to leave no pun behind this, we always 568 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,360 Speaker 2: tried to do. The flavor was kind of secondary. 569 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it's more like the experience, right, Like the 570 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:53,360 Speaker 1: chew of it and this spruce sap is, you know, 571 00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:55,920 Speaker 1: not super great. You don't see a lot of flavorings today. 572 00:30:56,320 --> 00:31:00,680 Speaker 1: And paraffin wax was petroleum derived, so not the missile. Yeah, no, 573 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:03,400 Speaker 1: interesting story about juicy fruit. This is a TANGI I 574 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:05,920 Speaker 1: can't remeber if you mentioned on air the reason it's 575 00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:10,240 Speaker 1: called juicy fruit is because that flavor does not exist 576 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:14,479 Speaker 1: in nature. Early food scientists made it up and were like, 577 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:15,920 Speaker 1: tastes like something. 578 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 2: It's vaguely fruit flavored. It's not exactly citrusy, you know. 579 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:21,760 Speaker 2: And that's the funny thing about it, is it like 580 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:24,920 Speaker 2: it's juicy fruit. That's what it is. And I don't know, 581 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:27,920 Speaker 2: it's a very image rich kind of name too. You 582 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:30,640 Speaker 2: think of juicy, and you think of it like, you know, 583 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:34,120 Speaker 2: a nice, chewy, juicy piece of gun. It's kind of gross, actually, 584 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:37,000 Speaker 2: but I can see how it worked. A few months later, 585 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:40,960 Speaker 2: he decided to give the folks still using uh spruce 586 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:42,760 Speaker 2: sap a run for their money and came out with 587 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:46,280 Speaker 2: spear mint, a much more pleasant tree derived products. 588 00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:51,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, I god, I hate spearmint. 589 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:55,160 Speaker 2: I don't know why, but it's just I mean, comparatively though, yeah, 590 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:57,280 Speaker 2: comparatively to like spruce and oil. 591 00:31:57,640 --> 00:31:58,120 Speaker 3: Yeah. 592 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:01,840 Speaker 1: So from the World's Columbia Exposition eighteen ninety three, all 593 00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:06,280 Speaker 1: the way of the twentieth century, William Wrigley Junior is 594 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:10,080 Speaker 1: going hard on the paint. He's traveling back and forth 595 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:15,440 Speaker 1: across the continent. He is promoting these gums, and then 596 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:20,520 Speaker 1: he's also still promoting these giveaway things. You thought umbrellas 597 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 1: were a big deal, folks. Ridiculous the story. It's this 598 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:27,560 Speaker 1: guy's given away like pocket knives in Saint Louis, lamps 599 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:32,240 Speaker 1: in uh Poughkeepsie, fishing tackle over at Albuquerque, measuring scales, 600 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:33,200 Speaker 1: because why not. 601 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:35,800 Speaker 3: I feel like, oh, yeah, exactly, why not. 602 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:40,959 Speaker 1: Deal on something like he had newsome random wholesaler or 603 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:43,120 Speaker 1: some guy who is crooked at the ports. 604 00:32:43,520 --> 00:32:46,080 Speaker 3: It does kind of feel like that to a degree. 605 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:48,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, sort of like you know, this is the story 606 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:50,560 Speaker 2: you hear about Tommy Wiso, the guy that created that, 607 00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:54,520 Speaker 2: you know, cult classics, the room that he was like 608 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:55,920 Speaker 2: selling leather jackets. 609 00:32:55,960 --> 00:33:00,480 Speaker 3: You know that seemingly maybe fell off a truck. Yeah, 610 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:02,920 Speaker 3: that's right. Oh, and there's still a mystery about him, 611 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:04,640 Speaker 3: isn't there? To some degree. 612 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:10,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, this guy Rigly, somewhere around this time he said, 613 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:14,440 Speaker 1: I need to know more about the mind of the customer. 614 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:17,200 Speaker 1: I know people will spend money when they feel that 615 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:20,360 Speaker 1: they have been given something and they feel a familiarity. 616 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:24,480 Speaker 1: They like stuff that they already recognize. But I'm starting 617 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:27,600 Speaker 1: to think that because it's not a huge purchase like 618 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:32,160 Speaker 1: a car or even like a stake, I think people 619 00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 1: just buy this on a whim. So he would go 620 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:39,440 Speaker 1: to the people who sell gum, and he's the one 621 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:42,960 Speaker 1: who figured out that you should put gum at the front, right, 622 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:46,680 Speaker 1: gum at the register, So as people are leaving, they've 623 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:50,600 Speaker 1: already spent money, right, and they're already paying money out. 624 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:51,960 Speaker 3: Well, that's interesting. 625 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:55,320 Speaker 2: That really is an innovation that you know, somebody had 626 00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:56,880 Speaker 2: to come up with that imagine. But like all of 627 00:33:56,920 --> 00:33:59,880 Speaker 2: those kind of low ticket items that are just sort 628 00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:02,760 Speaker 2: of like a casual buy, you know what I mean. 629 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:05,400 Speaker 2: It could be whether it like a candy or whatever, 630 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:08,319 Speaker 2: but it's all the things that you're waiting to check out, 631 00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:08,920 Speaker 2: and you see. 632 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:10,880 Speaker 3: You know, why not, why wouldn't I Why shouldn't I 633 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:13,520 Speaker 3: have it? You know, I've done well today. 634 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:13,960 Speaker 1: M h. 635 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:16,280 Speaker 3: I'm gonna give me a package juicy fruit. 636 00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:19,319 Speaker 1: And it's funny because you know what This makes me 637 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:24,680 Speaker 1: wonder a question for everybody listening, for the three of us, 638 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:29,160 Speaker 1: how frequently or how rarely do you go into the 639 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:31,359 Speaker 1: grocery store and just get the one thing? 640 00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:35,320 Speaker 2: Now, you know, we know the psychology of the layout 641 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:39,120 Speaker 2: of the grocery store, and knowing it and grappling with 642 00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:43,080 Speaker 2: it psychologically are two different things, because you know, I 643 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:46,279 Speaker 2: am a sucker for just passing the Oh look at 644 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:50,040 Speaker 2: that dinosaur shaped sippy cup, you know, like look at that, 645 00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:53,040 Speaker 2: or like, oh, look a foam football with a little 646 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:55,400 Speaker 2: fin on the back that you can I'll throw that to, 647 00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:58,239 Speaker 2: you know, the the neighbor kid. You know, sure, I know, 648 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:01,920 Speaker 2: it's just why not, It's just silly, goofy stuff like that, 649 00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:06,880 Speaker 2: or you know, some cereal or snack innovation item. 650 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:10,120 Speaker 1: I'm bad with produce that I've never tried before. I'm 651 00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:13,799 Speaker 1: the guy walking through and saying, dragon fruit. I bet 652 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:16,399 Speaker 1: I could do something with it. I can figure that out. 653 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:20,000 Speaker 2: Well, we've kind of come back around full circle to 654 00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:20,960 Speaker 2: the supermarket. 655 00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:21,239 Speaker 3: You know. 656 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:24,320 Speaker 2: That's sort of how we that's how we all in 657 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:27,880 Speaker 2: the in the modern day. I guess experience free samples 658 00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:29,399 Speaker 2: is a lot of times it's like, you know, because 659 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:32,200 Speaker 2: We don't go that many places, and we certainly won't 660 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:35,080 Speaker 2: have door to door salesman coming knocking on our door 661 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:38,000 Speaker 2: trying to offer us a free sample of some you know, 662 00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:39,320 Speaker 2: wild new product. 663 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:40,160 Speaker 3: Not typically. 664 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:43,120 Speaker 2: Usually it'll be like maybe at a trade show or 665 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:45,960 Speaker 2: like some like a you know, a con of some kind, 666 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:49,440 Speaker 2: or maybe you know a fair, perhaps you might or 667 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:51,960 Speaker 2: you know. Another example is at the mall. You ever 668 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:53,960 Speaker 2: see those free orange chicken samples? 669 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,839 Speaker 1: You know, I'm thinking, yeah, for through courts to come 670 00:35:57,880 --> 00:36:01,040 Speaker 1: in because what our office was in a different part 671 00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:04,080 Speaker 1: of Atlanta is very close to a mall that had 672 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:06,120 Speaker 1: a heck of a food court, and I would just 673 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:11,120 Speaker 1: go to the food court sometimes for lunch, which is 674 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:14,720 Speaker 1: an experience. It's an experience I wouldn't do every day today. 675 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 1: But yeah, free samples are important. Before we wrap up 676 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:20,920 Speaker 1: this story, let's shout out some of the other crazy 677 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:25,280 Speaker 1: stuff Wrigley did. He put all of his money into 678 00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:28,200 Speaker 1: this in nineteen oh seven when the economy was dodgy, 679 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:31,120 Speaker 1: so he made a real gamble and it did pay off. 680 00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:36,320 Speaker 1: Between nineteen eleven and nineteen fifteen, he bought out Zeno, 681 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:38,520 Speaker 1: the folks who have been making the gum. He was selling, 682 00:36:38,960 --> 00:36:42,560 Speaker 1: and then he did some He did some absolutely bonker stuff. 683 00:36:42,600 --> 00:36:45,960 Speaker 1: He mailed free gum to every address in the US 684 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:50,880 Speaker 1: telephone books. He sent every kid two sticks a gum, 685 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:54,839 Speaker 1: not on their first but on their second birthday. Like 686 00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:58,319 Speaker 1: the specificity of that is brilliant. Wait, why on their 687 00:36:58,400 --> 00:36:59,600 Speaker 1: second birth the kid? 688 00:36:59,600 --> 00:36:59,920 Speaker 3: How does this? 689 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:04,040 Speaker 2: He's trying to make a lifelong like gum shoer. I 690 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:06,280 Speaker 2: guess that's more for the parents, really, right. 691 00:37:06,239 --> 00:37:07,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think you're right. 692 00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:09,879 Speaker 1: But then also he probably was thinking two years old 693 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,839 Speaker 1: might be old enough to establish a sense memory, even 694 00:37:12,920 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 1: if he didn't use that language. 695 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:17,919 Speaker 2: Well, that's interesting, Ben, because we you know, the same 696 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:20,560 Speaker 2: year Ringley Actually, you know, he did some kind of 697 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:25,000 Speaker 2: benevolent stuff. He offered stock back to his employees, which 698 00:37:25,080 --> 00:37:28,000 Speaker 2: was a pretty interesting thing to talk about, free samples 699 00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:32,840 Speaker 2: to help make somebody feel committed to your brand, right, Yeah. 700 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:35,360 Speaker 1: And that's why he took the company public. He became 701 00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:38,480 Speaker 1: chairman of the board. He did like a succession thing, 702 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:41,880 Speaker 1: and turned the presidency over to one of his children. 703 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:44,399 Speaker 1: In this case, it was son Philip in nineteen twenty five. 704 00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:48,680 Speaker 1: He passed away in nineteen thirty two, seventy years old. 705 00:37:49,239 --> 00:37:52,399 Speaker 1: He was worth about thirty four million dollars at that time, 706 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:58,319 Speaker 1: so he's quite successful and he is definitely studied in 707 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:02,160 Speaker 1: sales and marketing classes. Is today right because people want 708 00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:05,239 Speaker 1: to be that kind of maverick, that pioneer of the 709 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:09,320 Speaker 1: hearts and minds and uh now you know, now we 710 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:12,680 Speaker 1: come to it like the lesson if lesson there be 711 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:19,480 Speaker 1: is that free samples absolutely one hundred percent do work. Oh, 712 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:22,880 Speaker 1: Costco guys, we should get a group Costco card. 713 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:25,600 Speaker 2: I've always thought it was too exclusive, Like don't you 714 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:28,400 Speaker 2: have to like, you know, have some clout or something 715 00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:29,280 Speaker 2: to get into Costco? 716 00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:31,480 Speaker 3: Can anybody join? Anybody can join? 717 00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:33,680 Speaker 1: And just got Tony up the capitol and I guess 718 00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:36,920 Speaker 1: you got to need like twelve pounds of uh, you know, 719 00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:38,280 Speaker 1: Vegas at. 720 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:41,319 Speaker 3: A time or vegas. Yeah, what even is a root 721 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:42,360 Speaker 3: de bega? Is my question? 722 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:44,759 Speaker 2: So yeah, I mean, throughout this whole thing we're talking 723 00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:48,120 Speaker 2: about psychology, We're talking about I give you something, You 724 00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:49,640 Speaker 2: give me your money. 725 00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:51,120 Speaker 3: For the rest of your life, you know what I mean. 726 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:53,360 Speaker 2: But you're getting something in return, and there is this 727 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:57,560 Speaker 2: sense of goodwill that comes along with that exchange. And 728 00:38:57,600 --> 00:38:59,719 Speaker 2: again we see it every day in modern times it's 729 00:38:59,719 --> 00:39:03,879 Speaker 2: stuff like a money back guarantee maybe, or like these 730 00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:07,960 Speaker 2: mattresses that you get online, like you know, Casper or whatever, 731 00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:10,960 Speaker 2: not a sponsor that you know offer you, you know, 732 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:14,600 Speaker 2: no questions asked return policy. That is sort of an 733 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:17,120 Speaker 2: equivalent of a free sample. We're giving you the thing. 734 00:39:17,160 --> 00:39:20,920 Speaker 2: Obviously the barrier of entry there becomes you have to 735 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:23,040 Speaker 2: package it back up and send it, you know, and 736 00:39:23,080 --> 00:39:25,680 Speaker 2: do that. That for some people is going to be 737 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:27,640 Speaker 2: too much trouble and they'll just end up keeping the 738 00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:29,760 Speaker 2: thing that may they maybe didn't love. But if people 739 00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:32,319 Speaker 2: do it right, they'll make it really they'll make it 740 00:39:32,400 --> 00:39:34,719 Speaker 2: so easy for you just to try it that you're 741 00:39:34,760 --> 00:39:36,359 Speaker 2: not going to be worried they're trying to put one 742 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:39,160 Speaker 2: over on you. That's sort of the bargain or the 743 00:39:39,200 --> 00:39:42,160 Speaker 2: agreement where you're like, I trust you because you've given 744 00:39:42,239 --> 00:39:45,080 Speaker 2: me the opportunity to decide for myself and to not 745 00:39:45,239 --> 00:39:47,799 Speaker 2: feel like I'm being tricked, but also to kind of 746 00:39:47,840 --> 00:39:49,279 Speaker 2: maybe be tricked a little bit too. 747 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:53,359 Speaker 1: You have manipulated me by making me feel as though 748 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:56,880 Speaker 1: I have agency, which I do or do I Uh, 749 00:39:57,040 --> 00:40:00,200 Speaker 1: there's I think we could wrap up your It's a 750 00:40:00,239 --> 00:40:03,960 Speaker 1: great point something cool that Max found from a trade publication. 751 00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:11,920 Speaker 1: Sampling also is a tide that carries all vessels. If 752 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:15,920 Speaker 1: you're giving away cheese samples, you know, like brie or 753 00:40:15,960 --> 00:40:19,879 Speaker 1: maybe like a Bagel's little smear cream cheese on them 754 00:40:20,120 --> 00:40:23,839 Speaker 1: by the dairy cheese ales, then not only will that 755 00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:28,280 Speaker 1: brand experience higher sales, but all the other cheese around 756 00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:29,000 Speaker 1: there will. 757 00:40:29,239 --> 00:40:32,560 Speaker 3: So you're kind of just raising the steaks for everyone. 758 00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:37,000 Speaker 2: And also it's a really good play for the store itself. 759 00:40:37,239 --> 00:40:41,680 Speaker 2: You know, they don't necessarily care which cheese you buy 760 00:40:41,719 --> 00:40:44,239 Speaker 2: as long as you buy it from them. So if 761 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:46,440 Speaker 2: a place like we were saying with Trader Joe's great 762 00:40:46,440 --> 00:40:49,920 Speaker 2: strategy with free samples, also it's always free samples of 763 00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:53,120 Speaker 2: their own stuff that they make, so they're you know, yeah, 764 00:40:53,160 --> 00:40:55,359 Speaker 2: it's super smart. So you're like, you've got this brand 765 00:40:55,440 --> 00:40:57,920 Speaker 2: loyalty to Trader Joe's the store, and then you have 766 00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:01,400 Speaker 2: this brand loyalty within Trader Joe's to Joe's own products. 767 00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:04,080 Speaker 2: They also sell some some non Treader Joe's products, but 768 00:41:04,360 --> 00:41:06,520 Speaker 2: you know that that place is really designed to buy 769 00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:10,280 Speaker 2: the stuff that they themselves make. We've got a pretty 770 00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:13,960 Speaker 2: cool perspective on this from Todd hollings Head from Brigham 771 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:15,200 Speaker 2: Young University. 772 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:16,919 Speaker 3: He had this to say. 773 00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:20,000 Speaker 2: Eating free samples at big box stores like Costco has 774 00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:24,480 Speaker 2: become a weekend tradition for many shoppers. For adults with children, 775 00:41:24,520 --> 00:41:26,160 Speaker 2: it's often the only way to get shopping done while 776 00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:28,879 Speaker 2: maintaining sanity. But just how effective are free samples when 777 00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:31,600 Speaker 2: it comes to actually attracting purchases and loyalty? After all, 778 00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:34,600 Speaker 2: marketers spend more than two billion dollars annually on sampling. 779 00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:39,840 Speaker 2: New BYU Research discovers the answer is a definitive yes. 780 00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:40,879 Speaker 3: Just just in case you. 781 00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:45,000 Speaker 2: Needed non anecdotal you know, kind of we know it 782 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,759 Speaker 2: works because it works on us, right, Well. 783 00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:49,799 Speaker 1: We know it works because it doesn't. I mean, this 784 00:41:49,840 --> 00:41:52,440 Speaker 1: is a good segue. We know it works because it doesn't. 785 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:54,799 Speaker 1: Just stay in the realm of food. You can get 786 00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:58,680 Speaker 1: free test drives right for at car companies. Tesla will 787 00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:00,920 Speaker 1: give you a free time drive. All you have to 788 00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:03,040 Speaker 1: do is sign up at their website. You can get 789 00:42:03,080 --> 00:42:06,799 Speaker 1: all kinds of free stuff, especially if you're if you're 790 00:42:06,880 --> 00:42:10,520 Speaker 1: scamming like I was back in the day. Because companies 791 00:42:10,600 --> 00:42:13,680 Speaker 1: want first off, usually have to give them your email 792 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:17,640 Speaker 1: or mailing address. They'll send you stuff, They'll keep sending 793 00:42:17,680 --> 00:42:20,080 Speaker 1: you stuff, you know what I mean, offers, sales and 794 00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:22,760 Speaker 1: so on. This is I used to have a pretty 795 00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:25,359 Speaker 1: big system for this, but at this point, maybe we 796 00:42:25,800 --> 00:42:28,799 Speaker 1: ask people to visit us at Ridiculous Historians and give 797 00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:31,440 Speaker 1: us some of their favorite free sample. 798 00:42:31,160 --> 00:42:34,160 Speaker 3: Stories, that being the old Facebook group. 799 00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:36,680 Speaker 2: One last thing from the BUYU study though, and I 800 00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:38,960 Speaker 2: think this is the good kicker here is. You know, 801 00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:42,080 Speaker 2: companies spend tons of money on marketing of all varieties, 802 00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:44,880 Speaker 2: whether it be like billboards or you know, ads on 803 00:42:44,920 --> 00:42:48,240 Speaker 2: bus stops or whatever, like displays in the grocery stores. 804 00:42:48,640 --> 00:42:53,120 Speaker 2: The BYU research indicated that not only do free samples work, 805 00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:58,000 Speaker 2: but the positive associations that you get from getting a 806 00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:01,239 Speaker 2: free sample linger much longer than those in. 807 00:43:01,239 --> 00:43:04,160 Speaker 3: Store displays, however elaborate they might be. 808 00:43:04,560 --> 00:43:07,760 Speaker 2: You know, we've seen like stacks of Coca Cola cans 809 00:43:08,120 --> 00:43:11,040 Speaker 2: spelling out go dogs or whatever, you know, and that's 810 00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:13,920 Speaker 2: really impressive and everything, but that's not going to linger 811 00:43:14,520 --> 00:43:16,840 Speaker 2: nearly as long as if they gave you a free 812 00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:17,600 Speaker 2: can of coke. 813 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:21,839 Speaker 1: Well, it's because the sense memory is so much it 814 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:27,080 Speaker 1: is a much more powerful pathway for encoding long term association. Right, 815 00:43:27,080 --> 00:43:30,160 Speaker 1: A display is visual and maybe sound, but if you 816 00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:35,040 Speaker 1: can get like not for nothing did Proost become famous 817 00:43:35,080 --> 00:43:38,040 Speaker 1: in literature for a taste of things remembered. It's all 818 00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:42,920 Speaker 1: about how eating a madeline puts him in this crazy, 819 00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:47,280 Speaker 1: crazy past experience. So yeah, when you're eating, when you're drinking, 820 00:43:47,320 --> 00:43:50,920 Speaker 1: when you're consuming, remember, that's the way a memory can 821 00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:53,240 Speaker 1: stay with you. You can also have your own memory 822 00:43:53,280 --> 00:43:56,239 Speaker 1: by doing this, folks, So play along at home, tell 823 00:43:56,320 --> 00:43:59,280 Speaker 1: us how it goes, big, big, thanks to super producer 824 00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:00,640 Speaker 1: mister Mac Williams. 825 00:44:01,200 --> 00:44:02,520 Speaker 3: Also thanks for the. 826 00:44:02,920 --> 00:44:06,680 Speaker 1: Thanks for the surprising deep dive into free samples, and 827 00:44:06,680 --> 00:44:11,720 Speaker 1: and of course thanks to Jonathan Strickland aka the Quist. 828 00:44:11,920 --> 00:44:13,840 Speaker 3: Do you think he likes free samples? I don't know. 829 00:44:13,960 --> 00:44:16,440 Speaker 3: Of course he does. He does. Who doesn't. 830 00:44:16,800 --> 00:44:19,400 Speaker 2: If he doesn't, then he's even more of a reptilian 831 00:44:19,480 --> 00:44:21,440 Speaker 2: creature than I give him credit for. 832 00:44:22,719 --> 00:44:25,839 Speaker 1: And thanks all suit to Chris rossiotis Eve's Jeff Coat, 833 00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:30,320 Speaker 1: all the hits, Gabriel Lucier are Research associates, doctor Z 834 00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:31,839 Speaker 1: and Jeff. 835 00:44:31,600 --> 00:44:34,840 Speaker 3: B and Noel. Thank you to you. I guess a 836 00:44:34,920 --> 00:44:38,759 Speaker 3: podcast is always kind of a free sample? Is it is? 837 00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:40,080 Speaker 3: It really is? 838 00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:43,480 Speaker 2: You get the match, we will give you the podcast. 839 00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:46,440 Speaker 2: You got to buy the mattress. We'll see you next time. 840 00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:47,040 Speaker 1: Books. 841 00:44:53,760 --> 00:44:57,560 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 842 00:44:57,640 --> 00:44:59,800 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.