Word of Mouth matters! Check out this “Tulipmania” man’s contributions in the marketing industry!

Monday: MicroBusiness and Marketing Marvels FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Who would’ve thought that a scientist could make up a great marketer? During the 16th century, there was this Swiss physician and naturalist best-known for his systematic compilations of information on animals and plants. His name was Conrad Gessner. As a botanist in Augsburg, Germany, Gessner mainly worked at the garden of banker Johann Heinrich Herwart. Gessner’s rise to prominence in the marketing industry started when he described a single tulip plant using a poem. Read on to know why Gessner was acknowledged as the “inventor” of word or mouth marketing during the 16th to 17th century. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Word of Mouth matters! Check out this “Tulipmania” man’s contributions in the marketing industry! Conrad Gessner: The “inventor” of word of mouth marketing Allow me to ask you this one question: Is there such a thing as an “inventor” of word of mouth marketing? Well, for me, one cannot really invent word of mouth. However, I think it’s more appropriate to say that one can manipulate word of mouth. Do you agree? So, while Conrad Gessner was recognized as the “inventor” of word of mouth marketing, I think it’s better and more appropriate to say that he manipulated word of mouth marketing. How did he manipulate it? By creating an easy-to-repeat poem about Tulips so that Europeans would be familiar with a flower they hadn’t heard of before! From 1634 to 1637, almost everyone in Holland was obsessed with buying, selling, and trading tulips; the phenomenon became known as “Tulipmania.” Here’s how it all started… Some 80 years earlier to 1634, a Flemish diplomat named Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq was sent to Constantinople by the Austrian Emperor to serve as ambassador to the court of Suleiman the Magnificent. Writing home, Busbecq talked about some strikingly beautiful flowers that he found all over Turkey. He also sent tulip bulbs and seeds back to Vienna. Soon after, these flowers were growing in the Emperor’s gardens under the care of Charles de l’Ecluse. During the same period, a shipment of tulip bulbs also reached Augsburg in Germany, where they bloomed in Johann Heinrich Herwart the banker’s garden. That was when Conrad Gessner first saw these flowers and wrote a poem about them. Gessner published the first official description of tulips in 1561 and listed it as Tulipa turcarum. Tulips also reached the Netherlands when de l’Ecluse was appointed as Botany professor at Leyden. As the former head of the Imperial Gardens in Vienna, he was quite proud of his collection of tulips and brought many samples with him. These flowers created a sensation in the Netherlands. Seeing a great opportunity to make money out of tulips, de l’Ecluse sold the flowers at unreasonably high prices but attracted no buyers. Suddenly… One cunning thief was determined to have the tulip bulbs. One moonless night, he crept into the garden and dug all the flowers up while de l’Ecluse was sleeping. The result? Although it was de l’Ecluse who had dreams of making a fortune out of the tulips, it was the thief who sold the bulbs anonymously and reaped the profits! Once the tulips gained momentum and prominence in the market, almost everyone in the Netherlands began planting tulips in the hope that Mother Earth would make them rich. Houses were mortgaged. Workmen sold their tools. Others even invested their money in tulip bulbs. Just imagine how extreme this tulipmania was! Tulip bulbs became major articles of commerce during the 1600s. They were traded by dealers similarly as stock shares and commodity futures are sold today. This economic frenzy ended abruptly in 1637 as amateurs flooded the market. Everyone wanted to sell and yet no one wanted to buy. Many formerly wealthy people lost their money because of pricey tulips and Dutch courts were filled with suits and countersuits. While Gessner wasn’t much a part of the picture in this frenzy, his contribution wasn’t forgotten and it made a HUGE impact in the marketing industry. Gessner’s easy-to-remember poem helped spawn “Tulipmania,” where a lot of people paid up to USD 1 million (in today’s standards) for a single bulb of tulip. This shows how word of mouth marketing is an essential part of promoting your brand or business. When you get a lot of people to talk about your brand, chances are they will influence the purchasing decisions of those who are close to them. So, give your target market a reason to talk positively about your brand. You may do that by exceeding their expectations, providing insider skills or information about your offering, or showing exemplary customer service. When customers have a feel-good experience about your brand, they will more likely talk about your business to their peers. Remember: A good word of mouth marketing strategy is credible, social, repeatable, and respectful. Dishonesty is NEVER acceptable. Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for next Monday’s MicroBusiness Marvels! As the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Adobe, Ann Lewnes is passionate about creativity and media. Learn more about Ann Lewnes and Adobe’s secret to effective marketing on next week’s MicroBusiness and Marketing Marvels!