
There’s a reason that airlines dress their pilots in military-type uniforms and Del Monte makes bone-shaped Milk-Bones. People like products that look the part. Good showmanship is a part of good marketing.
I recently stumbled upon a marvelous example of showmanship when I needed to unclog my bathroom drain. (I blame the beard.) I have poor luck with brands typically sold in grocery stores, so I headed to The Home Depot, bent on buying the meanest, nastiest, no-nonsense-est product they had.
The shelf was lined with formidable-looking brands, but one stood out. The black bottle, beefy in its own right, sat inside its own resealable plastic bag. A warning label was printed on the bag. The implication was clear: the contents of this bottle were so nasty as to require one more layer of protection.
I doubt whether the product was any tougher than the competing brands sitting next to it. I am certain that no fumes could leak from the bottle if properly closed. But the showmanship of the bag won me over. Whether or not the bag is superfluous, I mused, these guys have earned my business.
My drain was suitably impressed as well, as evidenced by the fact that now, once again, it flows freely.
—Steve Cuno