Jack Covert Selects - Rubies in the Orchard

Rubies in the Orchard: How to Uncover the Hidden Gems in Your Business by Lynda Resnick with Francis Wilkinson, Doubleday, 204 pages, $24.95, Hardcover, February 2009, ISBN 9780385525787 When Lynda Resnick and her husband, Stewart, invested in some land that just happened to yield pomegranates, they didn't think it would propel them into one of the most interesting tales in recent product marketing. But, Stewart suggested they try farming the fruit, and the result was a juice in a little bottle called POM. Resnick's Rubies in the Orchard chronicles the ups and downs they had to go through to not only brand their product, but to find ways of getting the public to want to buy a more expensive bottle of juice--one that's not mixed with other juices or corn syrup to make it more affordable. POM aside, Resnick's remarkable life and incredible adventures in marketing are the main focus of this book. From her brushes with the good ol' boys of advertising, to the more recent Internet debacles and naysayers of her tactics, Resnick has survived with her heart (and wit) in place. Resnick started in flowers (Teleflora), and went on to a little place called the Franklin Mint. She saw something there that the Mint hadn't done before, and through her determination, figures like Scarlett O'Hara and Marilyn Monroe came to life again and not only sold well, but engendered a new respect of the Mint with collectors. Resnick urges us all to reconsider the old adage to "think outside the box," especially to marketers searching for ways to promote their product. She counsels "If you want to locate and nurture the value of your brand, please don't think outside the box." By doing the opposite and thinking "inside the box," or "inside the pomegranite" with POM, she found that the bottle should look like the pomegranate fruit itself. As a result, POM stands out like no other fruit juice on the shelves. By "thinking inside the volcano," she found the Unique Selling Proposition that would make Fiji Water such a desirable brand--the fact that it's been naturally filtered by volcanic rock for two hundred years, has been sitting in an underground aquifer and is "utterly untouched by man until you unscrew the cap." Rubies in the Orchard is a great tool for anyone in marketing, but the lessons she teaches are applicable to anyone in business--and to life in general. When in doubt, Resnick's consistent message rings out: "Think inside the box." Try it yourself.