---
title: "Product Has No Market, How Can Marketing Save It?"
description: "If you're in an interview and given a bizarre drink with five times the sugar, you might think it has no market. But there are ways to market such products, such as targeting niche audiences, changing the product's use, or attaching labels to create a purchase reason. Real cases like Edward Bernays' 'Torch of Freedom' campaign for women's cigarettes and Airbnb's cereal sales during the 2008 election demonstrate the power of labeling."
author: "New Distribution"
publisher: "New Distribution"
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published: "2018-02-03"
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---

# Product Has No Market, How Can Marketing Save It?

> If you're in an interview and given a bizarre drink with five times the sugar, you might think it has no market. But there are ways to market such products, such as targeting niche audiences, changing the product's use, or attaching labels to create a purchase reason. Real cases like Edward Bernays' 'Torch of Freedom' campaign for women's cigarettes and Airbnb's cereal sales during the 2008 election demonstrate the power of labeling.

> Suppose you're in an interview, and the interviewer hands you a drink and asks you to design a marketing plan.
>
> But this drink is very strange: the label says "Contains five times the sugar."
You take a sip, and indeed, it's cloyingly sweet.
So you reach an initial conclusion: this product has no market at all.
But is this a deliberate test? Not really.
Because in reality, there are many such situations, **opening up sales for seemingly marketless products.**
For example:
  * A plain watch that the boss wants you to sell for 88,888 yuan.
  * An app with few features that the boss wants you to push up the charts.
  * A completely impractical product that the boss wants you to double sales for.
(Okay, the boss takes the blame for all the bad stuff.)
Let's get back to the point: that drink nobody wants to drink, how would you market it?
**There are ways, using these ideas:**
  * Precision marketing to find a niche audience that loves very sweet tastes;
  * Change the nature of the drink, turning it into a marketing prop: whoever finishes it gets a 50% off coupon for the whole store;
  * Change the use of the drink, selling it as a special seasoning—for example, using it to make Coke chicken wings is super delicious;
  * Change the function of the drink, having a "medical expert" say it replenishes energy, and it's healthier and more effective than Red Bull.
Of course, you could also use the "storytelling" trick I've written about before.
  * This drink is a secret recipe of Empress Dowager Cixi, which took the imperial kitchen 81 days to develop. (I'm totally making this up; you'll have to do the storytelling yourself.)
Today, I'll introduce another new trick:
  * **Labeling.**
# **1.**
For a product nobody wants to buy, the purpose of marketing is to create a reason to buy and get users to accept it.
**Labeling is one way to create a purchase reason.**
How to understand this?
I've thought of three examples to share with you.
**Idea 1: #Refuse to be a slave to calories#**
For the sake of so-called weight loss and health, many people obsess over the calories in every bite. We shouldn't live such a tasteless life.
**Take a sip of "five-times sugar water," #refuse to be a slave to calories#.**
**Idea 2: #Care for those who have lost their sense of taste#**
There are people who look perfectly happy, smiling freely, but they can never know what deliciousness is like because they lack the sense of taste.
**Take a sip of "five-times sugar water," #care for those who have lost their sense of taste#.**
**Idea 3: #Embrace unfamiliar customs#**
When different customs meet, many people argue: Should tofu pudding be salty or sweet? Should zongzi have meat or dates? Believe in Jesus or Buddha? Should there be more water than sugar or more sugar than water? (There is indeed a place abroad that likes super sweet tea.)
**Take a sip of "five-times sugar water," #embrace unfamiliar customs#.**
Has this inspired you?
Why not try to think divergently and come up with a few new labels yourself?
In short, using labeling can create a purchase reason for users.
Next, I'll share two real cases to further understand how others use the "labeling" trick.
# **2.**
**Case 1: How to sell cigarettes to women who don't smoke?**
In the early 20th century, women generally didn't smoke; cigarettes were exclusively for men.
In the traditional view of that time, women smoking was seen as indecent, especially in public.
However, tobacco companies didn't want that; they desperately wanted to sell cigarettes to women and conquer this huge group.
**How could they sell cigarettes to them?**
One person figured it out: Edward L. Bernays, later known as the "father of public relations."
Bernays had an unusual background: he was the nephew of Sigmund Freud.
Freud was a famous psychologist, known for "The Interpretation of Dreams."
Bernays drew inspiration from his uncle, especially regarding human biases and desires.
From this angle, he suddenly thought of the women's rights movement.
At that time, the women's rights movement was gaining momentum in the U.S. Although women had won the right to vote and be elected through years of effort, their social status was still not fully respected due to long-standing cultural traditions.
Bernays secretly planned to link cigarettes with women's rights:
**Women smoking symbolized the pursuit of freedom and equality, and cigarettes were the #Torch of Freedom#.**
On March 3, 1929, on Fifth Avenue in New York, ten women openly held cigarettes, proudly declaring their independence and autonomy. Feminist Ruth Hale excitedly shouted:
> "Women! Light another torch of freedom! Light another taboo of sex!"
>
(Ruth Hale was actually Bernays' assistant; this relationship was only revealed much later.)
After this event, the media exploded. Journalists flocked to cover it. Even European media reported it, sparking heated discussions.
In these reports, the "Torch of Freedom" was frequently mentioned.
The tobacco industry quickly followed up: major cigarette companies launched slim cigarettes for women and hired many famous women for advertisements.
Thus, the women's cigarette market officially opened.
Bernays used the "labeling" trick, calling cigarettes the **#Torch of Freedom#**, giving feminists a perfect reason to smoke.
# **3.**
**Case 2: How to sell ordinary, cheap cereal at a high price?**
This was done by Airbnb.
Everyone knows Airbnb is a home-sharing platform. But few know that in the early days, they sold cereal to make ends meet.
In 2008, during the U.S. presidential election, Obama was still a candidate. The Democratic National Convention was held in Denver, and 80,000 people came to the city. But Denver had few hotels, and Airbnb's home-sharing business took off.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last; once the convention ended, Airbnb had no orders.
To keep the company running, founders Chesky and Gebbia had to take on side work. They came up with an idea: buy a bunch of cereal, repackage it into new boxes, and transform it into **limited edition commemorative cereal sets for the election.**
There were two sets: Obama flavor and Republican candidate McCain flavor.
Airbnb sent these cereals to all the media journalists they knew, then sold them on their website and at offline events for $40 per box.
(At the average exchange rate in 2008, that was about 278 yuan per box.)
Unexpectedly, the market response was even better than they imagined; they sold 1,000 boxes.
With this money, plus the $30,000 in funding they secured during the cereal-selling period, Airbnb managed to get through the tough times.
Later, Chesky said:
> "I can't believe we paid off our bank overdraft. The world is beautiful."
>
In this case, Airbnb used two hot labels:
  * **#Support Obama# and #Support McCain#**
Then, with the help of the media, they promoted the Airbnb platform and their cereal.
# **4.**
**Talent belongs to a few, but tricks belong to everyone.**
Let's summarize today's article:
**How to promote a product nobody wants to buy?**
Try the "labeling" trick.
For such products, the primary goal of marketing is to create a purchase reason and get users to accept it.
And labeling is a good way to create a purchase reason.
**Exchange and discussion:**
For that five-times sugar drink, what other marketing ideas do you have? Have you ever used the "labeling" method to solve a problem?
Feel free to leave a comment, share your case, and exchange ideas with us. If you have a topic you'd like to discuss, you can also leave a message in the background.
Source: Kangxi Shive
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