Insight article

Friday Stories: Heating up

The executives in charge of Tabasco for the McIlhenny Company in Louisiana were pondering how to increase sales of their famous product. They called a meeting of their top brains from sales, marketing, product development, and advertising, and even some taste scientists and consumer psychologists. Flip charts were used up with diagrams, projections, and ideas for ads and promotional offers. “We need to turn Tabasco into a lifestyle brand”, said one.

Coffee break came around, and the local lad who delivered it to the meeting room asked what they were doing. Being a friendly kind of company, they explained exactly what they were there to do, and he immediately said that he knew how to increase sales of Tabasco, and that it was obvious. With a smile, the VP asked him what idea this was.

“Simple”, said the coffee boy. “Increase the size of the hole”.  

They did just that, and sales jumped for the first time in a decade.

Nailia Tasseel