Del Femina

Apples and Scotch in the Shower

This is what I was thinking about  in the shower this morning (unlike Raymond, I use my shower time for serious reflection).  Scotch and apple juice.  Yesterday, when I went to the Giant, I again picked up a bottle of "Simply Apple."  It cost $3.99.  This morning while I poured some I thought , WTF?  I can buy a gallon of the store brand for the same price, and it tastes just as good (I chug cold liquids, so taste is secondary). Why did I buy this again? There, on the counter, was the top from the last bottle.  I saved it.  I saved it!  Because, I thought at the time, to replace other bottle caps with it.  Why?  Because it's so damned ergonomically pleasing to open.  You don't twist it with a thumb and two girly fingers. You wrap your hand around its girthful elegance and undo. That led me to the Scotch. In his book "From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor," Jerry Del Femina recounted how Chivas Regal became THE prestige Scotch whiskey in the U.S..  Chivas had been priced to compete with the Johnny Walker brand, but was not selling.  A new ad agency did two things.  They commissioned the design of a distinctive new bottle.  They doubled the price. It became the the second best selling brand almost overnight, largely because of that bottle design, and snob appeal.  While this isn't a direct corollary to my apple juice, it doesn't have to be in my shower. ASIDE I:  I am not a big Scotch drinker, but several of my friends are.  My BIL was, I suspected, a snob drinker.  I took an empty Chivas Bottle, and filled it with whatever was cheapest at the liquor store.  When he'd came over I asked,  "soda with your Scotch?"  He  looks at the bottle and feigns, "are you kidding me? Adulterate Chivas?  I'll have mine neat."  He takes a sip, and with eyes closed  goes, "Ahhhh - now that's Scotch."   ASIDE 2:  I notice that the Wikipedia entry for Del Femina states: “ His 1971 book From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor was a best-seller. The title refers to a tongue-in cheek slogan proposed for the client Panasonic during a brainstorming session. ” The story is much more delicious than that.  On his first morning at a new agency he was told he had a meeting with Panasonic in two hours, and needed something fast.   Not knowing a thing about Panasonic, other than they were a Japanese company selling televisions, he went to the art department and came up with something like this .  An hour later he unveiled the copy to  less than enthusiastic Panasonic executives.   But Del Femina became an icon in the business as the story was told, and retold over Madison Ave luncheon Martinis.  I loved that book, and it did have an affect on how I approached marketing.