PASSAGE 1: How to Make Millions with a Rock
By Carolynn Susannah Feasting
Rocks are everywhere, and they come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Most rocks are free, because you can simply pick one up off the ground and put it in your pocket. So, it is incredible that someone would be able to make millions of dollars from selling rocks to people that they could otherwise pay nothing for, but it happened! It is the “Pet Rock,” and over the last 40 years, consumers have spent millions of dollars buying them to keep on shelves or give away as gifts.
Pet Rocks were sold with a manual on how to train and raise a new pet rock. Dahl became a millionaire instantly after selling approximately five million Pet Rocks.
The Pet Rock’s creator, Gary Dahl, did not invent rocks, of course, but he did find a way to make people want to buy them. By using his skills as an advertising executive, he understood how to get people to buy something that they did not need and probably would not have ever thought of buying on their own. For years, Dahl had listened to people complaining about all of the trouble involved in raising a pet. Many parents would buy a pet for their children only to be stuck with feeding, bathing, walking, and doing the tasks necessary to keep the pet healthy and happy themselves. Dahl’s solution to this problem—invent a pet that never needed feeding, walking, bathing, or grooming, and would not die, become sick, or be disobedient, as with a real pet. Once he started selling his Pet Rock, the idea caught on. Within six months, he had made more than 15 million dollars.
It would be very difficult to set up a stand with a bunch of rocks on it and get people to buy them. Dahl had to do much more than that to convince people that the Pet Rock was something they had to have. This was where Dahl’s skills in advertising would pay off; he was able to come up with a marketing plan that made the Pet Rock a must-have item for everyone. The key to marketing the Pet Rock was convincing people that it was actually a pet; so, Dahl came up with a 32-page manual full of puns, gags, and plays on words that referred to the rock as an actual pet, which also included care instructions, a guide for training the new pet, and a backstory for the rock. It worked!
Many products use promotional gimmicks (like the one that sold so many Pet Rocks) that use strategies that grab the buyer’s attention and emphasize the idea that the product is something the buyer must have or must give as a gift. Over time, a product (such as the Pet Rock) can gain a cult following and become something fondly remembered.
PASSAGE 2: Creating the Perfect Marketing Strategy for the Product
By Shane K. Williamson
Have you ever come up with a great idea that you think could make you rich? Many products that are sold—making millions for their creators—seem so simple; yet, selling these products is actually much more complicated than it seems. In many instances, the marketing of the product is much more important than the product itself.
The Big Idea Has to Be Formed First
Every product starts with an idea for something that people may or may not need, and many of the best and most profitable products sold are simply improved versions of other things. ShamWow! is essentially a small, absorbent towel, and it is something that can be easily replaced with many other items that may or may not cost as much as a ShamWow!, but people are still willing to pay for it anyway. ShamWow!, for example, is easily replaced by a towel or paper towel. Usually, the reason people buy items like the ShamWow! is due to the marketing behind the product.
Viral Marketing Strategies Are Great for Unique Products
Many things advertised through traditional methods like television, print, and radio are easy to sell, because people need them. When trying to sell something that is unique but not always necessary, a different type of marketing plan is needed. Products (such as the ShamWow!) have to find ways to create a visual image for potential buyers, and they have to use some non-traditional mediums to do that. Before the Internet boom and social media sites, television infomercials sold unique products. Infomercials were longer, drawn-out commercials—often 30 minutes—which allowed the product to be demonstrated and shown off in various ways. Oftentimes, the person selling the product was gregarious and full of energy in order to engage the potential customers. Infomercials still work, but they can be expensive and are not always the best way to market a unique product.
A newer way to attract customers is through viral videos. Viral videos are designed to attract viewers’ attentions and make them not only want to buy the product but also pass the video along to their friends. With the right video, it is possible to get a product seen by millions of people in a very short time. It creates a buzz about the product and turns the product from something that people know nothing about into a product that they simply must have.
Creating a Marketing Buzz
Products like the ShamWow! are more mainstream than people may think. Multiple types of products have created a marketing buzz in the consumer environment that have allowed the creators of those gizmos and gadgets to make millions of dollars. These products started with an idea and became much more thanks to marketing, marketing, and more marketing.
On the other hand, not creating enough of a marketing buzz can be devastating for even the best products. In the mid-1990s, a company called Pontis released the first mp3 player. Pontis did not have enough resources to develop an effective marketing campaign for its new product. A few years after Pontis, Apple released its version of the mp3 player—the iPod. Arguably, the iPod was an inferior product to the Pontis mp3 player, but the iPod quickly gained worldwide popularity. Within a few short years, Pontis was forced to discontinue manufacturing of its mp3 player.
There are several different strategies used to market products.
Think about the ideas in the two passages, and then write an explanatory essay in which you explain how marketing impacts product sales.
Be sure to use information from BOTH texts in your explanatory essay. Write your answer in the space provided.
Before you write, be sure to:
think about ideas, facts, definitions, details, and other information and examples you want to use;
think about how you will introduce your topic and what the main topic will be for each paragraph;
develop your ideas clearly and use your own words, except when quoting directly from the source texts;
be sure to identify the sources by title or number when using details or facts directly from the sources.
Now write your explanatory essay in the space provided. Be sure to:
use information from the two texts so that your essay includes important details;
introduce the topic clearly, provide a focus, and organize information in a way that makes sense;
develop the topic with facts, definitions, details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic;
use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion;
clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts;
use clear language and vocabulary to inform about the topic;
provide a conclusion that follows the information presented; and
check your work for correct grammar, usage, capitalization, spelling, and punctuation.
Marketing plays a crucial role in the success of a product. It can make or break a product's sales, regardless of how innovative or useful the product may be. This is evident in the two passages, which discuss the impact of marketing on the sales of the Pet Rock and the ShamWow!.
In the first passage, the author discusses how the Pet Rock, a simple and free object, was able to generate millions of dollars in sales. The creator of the Pet Rock, Gary Dahl, recognized that people often found it troublesome to take care of pets and came up with a solution - a pet that required no feeding, walking, or grooming. However, simply setting up a stand with rocks would not have convinced people to buy them. Dahl utilized his advertising skills to create a marketing plan that portrayed the Pet Rock as a must-have item. He developed a 32-page manual filled with puns, gags, and plays on words to present the rock as an actual pet. This marketing strategy successfully convinced people that the Pet Rock was something they needed, leading to the sale of approximately five million Pet Rocks and making Dahl a millionaire instantly.
Similarly, in the second passage, the author explains how marketing impacted the sales of the ShamWow!, a unique product that may not necessarily be seen as a necessity. While traditional advertising methods like television, print, and radio have been successful for products that fulfill basic needs, selling a unique product requires a different approach. The passage highlights the use of infomercials, these longer commercials allowed for a detailed demonstration of the product's features, capturing the viewers' attention and engaging them. However, infomercials can be expensive and are not always the best marketing strategy for unique products. Another approach discussed is the use of viral videos, which create a buzz around the product and generate millions of views in a short time. Viral videos can turn a product from an unknown entity into a must-have item for consumers.
The examples of the Pet Rock and the ShamWow! demonstrate that a successful marketing strategy can greatly impact product sales. It can create a perceived need or desire for a product that may not have existed before. By understanding consumer wants and needs, marketers can effectively promote their products and convince consumers to make a purchase. Marketing helps create awareness, arouses curiosity, and presents products in a desirable light, ultimately influencing consumer behavior and driving sales.
However, the absence or lack of effective marketing can have detrimental effects on product sales. This is evident in the example of Pontis, the first mp3 player manufacturer. Despite being an innovative product at the time, Pontis failed to develop an effective marketing campaign and was quickly overshadowed by Apple's iPod. The iPod, an arguably inferior product, gained worldwide popularity due to Apple's successful marketing efforts. As a result, Pontis was forced to discontinue manufacturing its mp3 player. This illustrates how even the best products can fail if they are not supported by a strong marketing strategy.
In conclusion, marketing plays a vital role in product sales. It allows creators to present their products in a compelling manner, generating interest and fulfilling consumer needs or desires. Whether through creative advertising techniques, like the Pet Rock's manual, or utilizing viral videos, like the ShamWow!, marketing strategies can transform a product into a must-have item. The success or failure of a product often depends on the effectiveness of its marketing. By understanding consumer preferences and employing innovative marketing strategies, creators can increase the chances of their product's success in the market.