Bloomberg Businessweek brings us a fascinating read on, of all things, bacon! Why is bacon so interesting? Well, it’s not the meat itself, though to many it is delectable! Rather, this story is fascinating to read on how the industry marketed bacon to the masses.
You see, bacon fell on very hard times in the 80s. It was a noted “cholesterol-monster” that many doctors warned the public about. Because of the health scares associated with it, the bacon industry took a huge hit.
It wasn’t until the marketing campaign of a few fast food restaurants that bacon saw a resurgence in the general population. The pork industry, seeing this marketability option, jumped on the opportunity and brought bacon back before the noses and mouths of a very eager population.
One thing that is interesting about this story is how the industry saw the opportunity and seized it, massaged it into a message, and ran with it. By this they were able to “save” bacon and bring it back to the forefront of, dare we say, many in the world.
It really is a story of marketing genius, and it makes for a fascinating read for us today as we think about how we market to the people. Read it, for there is marketing genius that abounds in this story.