Anecdotes are part of business life. While some turn out to be funny, others are striking and are the source of a thriving business. Discover our selection of anecdotes that might make you reconsider the way you work or make your decisions.
The toothpaste hit or collective intelligence
At a meeting of a famous toothpaste company, many people were invited to brainstorm. The question was how to increase turnover by 15%. The salespeople wanted us to do one promotion, the communication another and so on… Everyone proposed their solutions but none ensured the expected result. The leader asked for his opinion from a man who remained isolated in the back of the room. This had little connection with all the major branches of the company. He suggested increasing the toothpaste hole by 15% because everyone does the same thing when they put toothpaste on their toothbrush. This shows that calling on collective intelligence sometimes allows you to obtain relatively simple solutions to your problems that you probably would not have thought of. Besides, other brands may have followed the example, we’ll let you guess!
Mickey was actually a rabbit
…Or at least he succeeds him. Walt Disney created the mouse because he had just lost the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He started drawing the mouse on the train that was taking him back from New York to Los Angeles during the 3-day journey. Not wishing to return empty-handed and with the only news for his brother that they were ruined and that he had lost the rights, he created the famous icon of the company which was originally called Mortimer. Fortunately for our hero, he was saved by Walt Disney’s wife who suggested Mickey because she thought it sounded “too snobbish”. Sometimes listening to outside advice can save a mouse.
Taking feedback can save your business
The company Allo Resto (now Just Eat) experienced a major period of difficulty in 2004 before achieving success. When it was on the verge of a tragic end in 2004, Sébastien Forest decided to set up customer reviews and a loyalty program. A decision which, together with the arrival of ADSL, allowed the e-retailer to take off and achieve success. An anecdote which reminds us that perseverance + good idea + market which accelerates for another reason = success.
When the Green Giant Wasn’t Green
If it is known that Santa Claus changed the color of his clothes, we know less that our good Green Giant was not. The company, the Minnesota Valley Canning Company, then marketed peas that the company called Green Giant because they were larger than those normally consumed. In reality, our Giant in his first representations has difficulty carrying a pea pod and he has white skin. The one we have the pleasure of welcoming today was created by the advertising agency Leo Burnett a few years later. Result: a readjusted size, muscles, a smile, a change in skin color and clothes. It was not until 1950 that the company changed its name to Green Giant Company. If the giant did it, your brand could too.
When you have hidden messages or Le Petit-Beurre de Lu
You’ve always wondered why Lu’s Petit-Beurre has this shape. It is actually an allegory of time. If we don’t ask the question or we could say that it is a selected or random shape in reality the 4 corners mean the 4 seasons and the 52 “teeth” refer to the 52 weeks of the ‘year. The 24 holes refer to the number of hours in a day. This shows that you can send very subtle messages with your product.
Airbnb, hospitality source of an idea that goes around the world
Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, in 2007, help participants in a major conference on industrial design. They offer to accommodate them and reserve an inflatable mattress for them to rest. They earned $1,000 in one week and decided to create a paid community platform for renting homes for individuals and professionals. Airbnb, an idea that makes many jealous! !
Twitter, consume in moderation
Noah Glass and Jack Dorsey, returning from a drunken evening in 2006 around 2 a.m., imagined a website allowing everyone to react to current events or share information in real time. This is how the little bird of Twitter became a familiar companion who made millions of dollars.
