How One Simple Change Can Rock Your Business
Can one word REALLY transform your business forever? It did for Legos.
Their product was great. But the marketing message was off… by one word.
Here’s the story:
Legos is a Danish company that’s been around forever. But it didn’t get into what we know it for until the late 1940’s.
Europe was a small market in those days. Legos needed to expand into the U.S. market.
So, in the early 1950’s, the company used their same marketing message for the U.S. launch.
It failed miserably.
It tried two more runs at the American market. They ended the same way
Legos finally hired an outside marketing consultant.
He brought Danish children into the company; then he watched as they were given a box of Legos. Here’s what they would do:
They carefully unpacked the box…they confirmed all parts shown in the booklet were there…then they built the few samples in the manual exactly as shown.
Then some American kids were brought in. Guess what they did?
They ripped open the box…tossed the instruction booklet aside…dumped everything in a pile and started experimenting.
So the problem wasn’t the product. The product was great. All they had to do was change just one word in the marketing message.
Here’s why…
In Denmark, the Legos’ marketing message was: This toy will encourage your child’s inclination for engineering – something they excel at as a nation.
But in the United States, parents were told something different. This toy would encourage their child’s creativity.
Creativity vs. Engineering. The two words are similar… but different enough to stall a national marketing campaign.
As you know, Legos went on to become wildly successful in the U.S.
The BIG marketing lesson:
Sometimes you gotta change your message. Sometimes it might be just one word.
Awhile back I wrote, “How One Simple Phrase Can Kick Your Competitor’s Butt” (click here to read).
THAT’S what I’m talking about. Get a killer USP.
It can rock your business.
So can my killer newsletter. Let me send you 3 FREE samples. Just tell me where to send them. (Tell David)
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- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”
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