The First Rebrand Of All Time

Steak and what? Turkey and mashed what? Roasted chicken and what?

POTATOES.

The potato is the most commonly consumed vegetable in the world, and one of the most versatile.

French fries, potato chips, mashed potatoes, smashed potatoes, baked potatoes, YOU NAME IT. 

AND in 2019 (you won’t believe this) the average person consumed 49.4lbs of potatoes.

But how we got to that point is iconic…

Originating from Southern Peru the potato was seen to have incredibly low nutritional value, zero taste and smell, it was something not even the dogs would eat.

SO why does any of this matter?

Back in the 1700s food standards were, well, not standard. Famines were quite common, food supply was extremely volatile, and the cost to make bread while also fighting in multiple wars, would drive empires into poverty.

It was a constant battle, literally and figuratively.

But then came a King Marketer…

For 46 years Frederick had ruled over the German state of Prussia, keeping the populace safe against the French, Russian, and Hungarian armies who consistently were bearing down on their borders.

His military tactics were revered AND feared, but it was his strategic positioning of a product within his own walls that saved his citizens from themselves.

Bread was becoming too expensive to maintain its stay as the staple food for the citizens of Prussia, so Fredereck declared that potatoes were to be cultivated across the state.

He was hit with TONS of backlash or in this case, pitchforks and fires. The fact that potatoes were easy to grow, durable, AND versatile was all overlooked by the fact that potatoes are dirty-looking, and the citizens didn’t know if they were getting poisoned or not.

Perception is everything.

You can have a killer product, but if the market can’t let go of the tiny traits that are shaping their perception of your brand, then good luck getting them to add to cart.

The citizens literally had NO food choices other than the potato, yet they still chose not to eat it out of fear that they were being played into some trick.

It’s not a new deal, or new bundle that will get consumers over the hump in the most efficient manner, but removing tiny frictions in the buyer journey that will. 

So Frederick needed to hone in on how to remove these tiny frictions that were shaping the entire perception of the potato in the market.

Frederick went back to the drawing board and came to market with a completely repositioned product, declaring the potato as “A Royal Vegetable.”

The goal was to elevate the perception of the potato in the minds of consumers and SHOW consumers the efficacy of the product instead of TELLING.

Frederick began planting a potato field within his palace walls, eating potatoes at all of his public feasts, and had guards heavily monitor the potato fields, but with a small caveat…

Frederick encouraged the guards to be oblivious of any intruders or citizens looking to steal what was being planted, in hopes that the citizens would actually get their hands on some potatoes, try the “Royal Vegetable”, and share it with their friends.

The idea worked flawlessly.

The lackadaisical guards did their part.

Frederick had convinced consumers with reverse psychology that something worth guarding, had to be something worth stealing, and in turn got the potato into the hands of thousands by way of allowing them to steal potatoes from his field.

Suddenly the fear was a thing of the past, consumers saw someone with a large influence consuming the potatoes, and the reverse psychology was just the nudge consumers needed to get the product in their hands.

There were also other subtleties at play here, most notably the diffusion of innovation. There’s always going to be innovators, early adopters, and but it’s those early and late majority who are the last to adopt that you need to win over to see your idea become a movement.

The diffusion of innovation is an important theory to hold onto when you’re bringing a new product line or extension to market. 85% of consumers will be willing to adopt the new product IF you can get that first 15% to show that the switch was actually worth it (the 15/85 rule).

It’s all about inflection points. 👇

Frederick was able to get to that inflection point of adoption with rebranding the potato, as it was now associated with the royal class and heavily guarded by the Royal army and consumers were stealing the potatoes, taking them to their kitchens, cooking them, and enjoying them in public within their communities. 

That was the first 15% who ultimately proved to the lagging 85% that the product was worth adopting.

And I know we joke around that “This is Marketing, you’re not a Doctor saving lives so relax,” but this little campaign by Frederick single-handedly kept his citizens from starving to death during the Seven Years War. 

So you know what? We may be saving lives out here with our Marketing.

Now I’ve just got to ask you?

How are you going to get to that inflection point in your campaigns where the idea begins to shape into a movement? Would love to hear your strategies, just reply to this email!