GREAT EUROPEANS. We are all familiar with Wrigley’s Chewing Gum, but the story behind the Wrigley legend is well worth chewing over. The Wrigley legend had humble beginnings.

William Wrigley Jnr., when just 13-years of age, worked as a salesman for his father’s company. Founded in 1891, the Chicago firm was a manufacturer of household soap and baking powder.

As a sales incentive, the young Wrigley offered free packs of chewing gum with every purchase.

Changed history

It soon dawned on William that the gum was more popular than the baking powder. Hey ho! The young entrepreneur changed course and, in doing so, William Wrigley Jnr., changed history.

He continued to give his product away as a lure to buy more. Such was his success that every business in the United States and soon Europe fell in behind the Pied Piper of Marketing.

International Acclaim

By the 1930s, his product was in every American home. The American merry marketeer had Wrigley’s Chewing Gum advertisements in every bus from Seattle to Louisiana. If you suffered from a toothache, you went to the dentist.

The Dust Bowl, the swamp communities of Louisiana, suburban Boston, the docklands of Portland in Oregon, cowboy country and the prairies.

Every dentist in the United States

Your dentist had displayed in the waiting room posters with tips on mouth hygiene.

These were supplied free of charge by Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum, which was advertised on each display.

Every American child received a birthday card from Wrigley’s Spearmint Chewing gum with strips of the company’s product attached to the birthday card.

This is what you call opportunism, and all business is based on opportunism.

The ability to see an opportunity, perceive a need and fill that need. The first rule of selling is to discover what the customer wants and sell it to him.  Let readers know what you think

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