A Success Story
We underestimate the importance of marketing and how crucial it is in our everyday lives. Here’s a great example of how – the invention of Play Doh.
Play Doh’s invention began in Cincinnati and it was about to go under in the late 1920s, when Cleo McVicker, only 21 years old, tried to keep the company to stay afloat by hiring his brother, Noah.
In 1933, Cleo went to a store called Kroger, where Kroger grocery store representatives asked if they made wallpaper cleaner.
The fall of Wallpaper Cleaner
At the time, wallpaper cleaner was a hot commodity. Cleo felt it was a good move to get into making wallpaper cleaner because it was a lot more efficient and cheaper than wood when compared to coal which was another hot commodity.
Cleo jumped to the mission of making wallpaper cleaner and Kroger purchased 15,000 cases from them with a $5,000 penalty if they did not deliver on time.
Unfortunately, this only held up for about 10 years (sustaining an income for the brothers) when things started to dwindle due to the lack of demand in wallpaper cleaner as it became redundant after WWII.
Cleo eventually died shortly after in a plane crash in 1949. Noah’s nephew filled in temporarily but was also not expected to stay alive as he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
The rise of Play Doh
Kay Zufall, in 1954 came to the rescue and saved what was to become “Play Doh.” Kay was the sister-in-law to Noah’s nephew, Joe McVicker.
So, how did Kay save the company? Kay ran a nursery and needed cheap materials to let her class play with and turn into Christmas decorations. Wallpaper cleaner was an effective material for the children to play with; both Kay and Joe decided to remove the detergent from the dough and added an almond scent and colouring to make it into the toy it is today.
Kay came up with the name “Play Doh’ and they were able to spread the word about the new toy through connections at her school’s board from selling soap previously.
However, they needed real exposure and proper marketing to drive sales.
Captain Kangaroo was a production company, which went on to help invest in them that had a stake of 2% in the company if they advertised for Play Doh. Due to proper advertising, Play Doh became a national hit with demand from other children’s shows because of Captain Kangaroo believing in the product and advertising for them.
Lessons Learned
Without proper advertising and without reaching the right audience, selling a product or service will be increasingly difficult without the support and guidance of a professional opinion.
The Social Company http://www.thesocialcompany.net/ can help your business reach their advertising and Public Relations goals with our in-house experts on advertising, media relations, social media and more. Call us today for more information on how we can help you get started.
Hina Mirza
PR Specialist
Managing Director
The Social Company
