Last week I talked about the fact that Chiquita Brands purchased Fresh
Express for $855 million. So, obviously, the company is not doing too
bad. But, this was not always the case. And, their folly is very
instructive.
This
story affirms two lessons. One about the importance of integrity.
And, the other, about advertising's ability to shape peoples' belief
systems.
As it
pertains to my blog, leadership is an integral part of
entrepreneurship. And, integrity is the sine qua non of leadership.
Taking shortcuts can really hurt a person. In the case of Chiquita,
it might have wiped them out.
According
to Arthur Freeman, “Back in the 1940s, a highly popular advertising
jingle for Chiquita Bananas ended with the line: 'Bananas like the
climate of the very, very tropical equator, so you should never put
bananas in the refrigerator. No. No. No. No.'”
According
to a former vice president of the company, that marketed Chiquita, the
only reason the word refrigerator was mentioned in the jingle
was that it rhymed with equator.
The
company wanted to position their product as being exotic, coming all
the way from Central America. The truth was, of course, that bananas
can go in the fridge, and indeed last longer if they are cold.
However,
this was not a big deal, in the forties, when refrigerators were tiny
and the majority of women went grocery shopping almost daily. What
mattered then was that people loved the Chiquita jingle, sang it everywhere,
and bought lots of bananas.
As a
matter of fact, the jingle became so popular recordings of it
appeared in jukeboxes. And, the U.S. Government borrowed the tune for
a song about conserving water during World War II.
At any
rate, what had seemed to be the prefect ad campaign began costing the
company sales in the fifties when the suburbs boomed, refrigerators
doubled in size, and shopping became a once-a-week event.
Shoppers
would buy a dozen apples or a dozen oranges but only three bananas
because they “knew” that bananas should never go in the fridge.
The company tried in vain for years to counter the jingle's message
but finally gave up.
In many
ways, Chiquita got what they deserved. Advertising can be an
extremely powerful activity. The main reason being advertising's
ability to shape peoples' beliefs. And, once those beliefs are
formed, they are quite difficult to change.
For this
reason, if you wish to influence peoples' minds, I encourage you to
get it right. Please, do not take shortcuts. Not only can your shoot
yourself in the foot, but you can also destroy your integrity.
Successful
entrepreneurship requires leadership, and leadership requires
integrity. Remember that, and please don't compromise yourself.
