In 1939, when 19-year-old Frank Perdue (1920-2005) dropped out of university and took over his parents' chicken farm, perhaps he did not know that, primarily thanks to advertising, he would create the first branded chicken in the USA, managing to differentiate a product that until then was considered homogeneous.
"If you can differentiate a dead chicken, then you can differentiate anything" he used to say. His company developed a quality feed for the chickens, thanks to which they would have better taste and acquire a distinct color, thus standing out from the competition. Consumers would no longer ask for just any chicken, but for a superior quality and packaged - in careful plastic wrapping - Perdue chicken.
.jpg)
Perdue knew very well what he was selling, often impressing his customers with his extensive knowledge about chicken nutrition. He studied numerous books on the subject, as well as on sales and marketing, managing to excel in this field as well.
Related articles to read: Marketing Geniuses. Jan Carlzon {alertInfo}
In 1971, he used advertising to enhance the branding strategy, which, however, was not a conventional advertisement, as, according to the advertising agency, he starred (perhaps the first CEO to promote his own product) saying the phrase that would make him famous: "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken" - for many Americans, chicken became synonymous with Perdue just like Calvin Klein jeans.
The advertisement of "The Chicken Man" was so successful that 200 versions of it were created, in many of which Perdue encouraged consumers to complain if they were dissatisfied - the advertisement usually ended with the phrase: "Say whatever you have to say; I can take it."
It is no coincidence that he always sought "bad news" in order to respond immediately. He talked to his salesmen, listened to consumers, interact with butchers and partners, always trying to find a solution to a problem, to listen to them, but also to gather valuable information from the market.
He was the kind of leader who "listened and learned." He asked questions, listened, took notes. He spent most of his time listening rather than talking. Even when he was with his staff, he listened carefully, joking that "there's a lot of wisdom in this room, and I want to tap into it."