I am at Pampers HQ for their first official Blogger Day and got to tour the P&G archives yesterday! I was SOOO impressed with all of the items. I felt so privileged to look at everything…so so so much history. The history behind products just blows my mind…and I can’t help but share a few of the storys that I heard yesterday! The first one is about Mr. Proctor and Mr. Gamble and how they established P&G. They were soap and candle makers! In 1837, William Procter and James Gamble form Procter & Gamble, a partnership in Cincinnati, Ohio, to manufacture and sell candles and soap. These men had NO idea this Brand would grow to what it is today! This is what I call a VERY successful partnership! I must add that in 1961, test marketing of Pampers disposable diapers begins….my mom was a baby. (HOW CRAZY IS THAT?) I love that Pampers are something that people only wear for a short time (hopefully this is true!) but it’s something that people do not like to skimp on…I know I don’t! I am HUGE fan of Pampers…always have been!
Here is the story of a partnership gone bad. Duracell is a P&G brand. Duracell has a mascot of sorts…did you know that? It’s a bunny. Think thru this. Early on when Duracell was getting started…they came up with the bunny as their guy. Here’s the history:
The Duracell Bunny campaign was launched in 1973 and predates the Energizer Bunny, which was created in 1989. There are differences in appearance—the Energizer Bunny wears sunglasses, has larger ears, is a different shade of pink, and has a different body shape. Also, while the Energizer Bunny is a single rabbit, the Duracell Bunnies are a species. The Energizer Bunny is depicted with a drum, because the Duracell Bunny toys had drums. The Duracell Bunny advertising campaign has changed, and Duracell Bunnies are usually depicted as doing something other than beating a drum.
The Duracell Bunny does not appear in North America, due to Energizer filing a trademark claim for the marketing use of a “battery bunny” in the United States and Canada. However, it occasionally appears on grey market Duracells or counterfeit Duracells, usually of Chinese origin. (reference wikipedia)
It’s probably generational, but I had NO IDEA that the bunny idea belonged to Duracell FIRST! That’s just crazy. The moral of this story is that if you want to grow a business and be successful then you have to pay attention to the small details…every last one of them! P&G is a powerful brand, they have a TON of products and you probably use them daily. They’ve had many many successes and many failures along the way. The key to their success is that they have learned from their failures. They have moved forward and have changed products and ideas because of failures. This is a great lesson to learn in life. We only learn to success by growing from our failures. The people who have fallen are the ones who know the strength and endurance it takes to succeed.
Sorry about the history lesson, but I felt it was something that could challenge you to think outside the box, change the things in life that aren’t working, pay attention to details more, and dream big!
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