This week I have another story for you that feels like it must be an April Fool’s Day joke…but alas, it is true.
Sometimes companies introduce new products that sound great — but they just don’t work.
This is one of those stories.
But the reason this product failed might surprise you…
In the 1980s, fast food restaurant A&W had a problem.
They had introduced a new hamburger to rival McDonald’s Quarter Pounder.
But it wasn’t selling.
A&W’s ‘The Third’ was a one-third-pound hamburger that cost the same price as McDonald’s Quarter Pounder.
In blind taste tests, customers even preferred A&W’s burger.
A&W invested heavily in a ‘Third is the Word’ marketing campaign to promote their new burger on TV and radio.
So why wasn’t their bigger, better burger selling?
Frustrated, A&W hired a market research company to hold customer focus groups to find out why The Third wasn’t selling.
According to Threshold Resistance, a book written by A&W owner Alfred Taubman, the problem wasn’t the burger.
The problem was math.
More than half of the focus group participants questioned the price of A&W’s Third, asking:
“Why should we pay the same amount for a third of a pound of meat as we do for a quarter-pound of a meat at McDonald’s?
“You’re overcharging us.”
“Honestly,” Taubman wrote. “People thought a third of a pound was less than a quarter of a pound. After all, three is less than four!”
But Taubman wisely noted the lesson from the experience.
“Sometimes the messages we send to our customers through marketing and sales information are not as clear and compelling as we think they are.”
“The customer, regardless of his or her proficiency with fractions, is always right.”
And 40 years later, A&W decided to bring a third-pound burger back to their menu — with a cheeky campaign that mocked why their original 1/3 Pounder had flopped.
And to avoid the same failure, this time they decided to call their burger the ‘3/9 Pound Burger’ and use a more direct marketing message: It’s Bigger/Genius.
Recent Work and Writing
What’s The Deal with Morning Pages? — It’s a daily practice that is lauded by artists and business leaders. But what’s it all about —and does it really work?
Three Oscar Moments to Talk About that Aren’t The Slap — One story from the Oscars is dominating the headlines, but here are three other moments worth celebrating.
What Do Women Really Want? — On the eve of the UK’s Mothering Sunday, I had some thoughts about what mothers, grandmothers, and women in general want — and deserve. (Better cards for Grandma, to start)
Read My Pins — Even people with serious jobs can still have a bit of fun in their communication. Here is how former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright found a creative way to communicate…
How Can I Help?
Communication matters.
How much?
Well, did you see the executive who was fired over an email he sent?
That’s right — one email. Because communication matters, and it’s so easy to make mistakes that cost you relationships, your reputation, and your job.
And good news, friends… If you want to improve your communication (and get all the good things that come with that), I’m your gal.
So many companies could reap so benefits – from performance and culture to retention and engagement – by improving their communication.
I help clients with communication strategy, planning, and thinking.
And I do the ‘doing’, too.
I also teach people the skills to help them become better communicators and leaders through 1:1 coaching and team workshops (that are effective - and fun!).
So, if you know someone who could benefit from some help (as even the most seasoned leaders do), please get in touch and check out my website for more information.
And if you see any communication examples (the good, the bad, and the ugly) that you think are worth analyzing or sharing, please send them my way!
Keep Smiling — and Stay Curious!
-Beth
This burger flopped because people can't do math