Lessons on relationships from Listerine
Listerine hit the retail counters of the United States in 1915. It rose to fame when Lambert Pharmacal, the manufacturer pitched the product as a cure for halitosis, then an obscure medical term for bad breath.
James Twitchell, who is an advertising scholar wrote, "Listerine did not make mouthwash as much as it made halitosis." Within seven years, the company's revenues rose from $115,000 to more than $8 million.
Success Always Attracts Competition
In time consumer giant Procter and Gamble noticed the lucrative business Lambert had created. They saw an opportunity for a competing product, Scope Mouth Wash.
It had all the makings of a winner. It had a better color, mint green versus Listerine's urine yellow. Secondly it had a more attractive packaging against Listerine's medicinal looking bottle.
The big selling point however, was not Scope's color and packaging but that it's mint flavor tasted much better than Listerine's gag causing bitter antiseptic taste.
Overnight Success‚ Overnight Turn-Around
Overnight Scope caught on like fire, it was a success and Listerine was in trouble. Until Listerine retorted saying, "The taste you hate twice a day.- Not only did they admit their weakness, they admitted that people hated it.
Overnight people were back taking Listerine. Lambert's honesty brought credibility that Listerine can be trusted. Customers concluded that since they could be trusted, it still does a better job of killing germs.
What can we learn from Listerine?
Lesson No. 1
Honesty is highly valued. People intuitively know there are no perfect products or people. When caught in a place where we make mistakes or our flaws are exposed, our response should be honesty, and not denial or cover-up.
We all have good things and strengths to offer. And we also have not so good things and weaknesses. This is the reason why we all need relationships, so we can be a positive addition to others as they are to us.
But in building relationships we need to have an ability to know the truth about ourselves and admit them when necessary even to others.
Lesson No. 2
Make the necessary changes. Listerine realized that while they had a good product it could stand some improvement. Rather than just sit on their laurels they saw an opportunity to make things better.
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In time they developed a line of products that still delivered the same germ fighting capability without the bad taste and the urine color. Listerine today comes in different colors and flavors. They even made their bottles more beautiful.
Our second lesson is, it's not enough that we admit our shortcomings, we need to find ways and be determined to change our ways in order to keep our relationships. Truth causes repentance to change course and head in the opposite direction.
Fact is colors, flavors and packaging are externals and can be frivolous, but you get my point, truth forces change upon us and gives us the volition to make changes on the inside that create lasting change on the outside.
Lesson No. 3
Discovering halitosis, an internal issue, is the key to solving an external problem that affects others, bad breath.
In Christ we admit our sins, blunders and faux pas in life. It is in admitting them that He gives us the opportunity to turn around and repent and make the necessary changes on the inside, that will allow us to stay in step with His holiness.
And in Christ we are given the ability to make changes that allows us to function properly while living a color-full and flavor-full life. Our internal problems have but one solution - Jesus.
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 2Corinthians 4:16-17
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