It was recently asked on Soflow’s AdRants forum, "Who is your favorite person in advertising?" My answer, without hesitation: P.T. Barnum .

He had an ingenious mind, a sense of style, knew how to build something out of nothing, invented some of the stuff still being done today, and above all: understood his audience and human nature. Here’s my favorite Barnum story, from the Irving Wallace biography, "The Fabulous Showman ." It has to do with how Barnum built traffic for his museum in New York City:

One day a plump beggar came by for a handout. Instead, Barnum offered him a job at a dollar and a half a day. He handed the puzzled beggar five ordinary bricks. "Now," said Barnum, "go and lay a brick on the sidewalk at the corner of Broadway and Ann Street; another close by the Museum; a third diagonally across the way … put down the fourth on the sidewalk in front of St. Paul’s Church, opposite; then, with the fifth brick in hand, take up a rapid march from one point to the other, making the circuit, exchanging your brick at every point, and say nothing to anyone. … [A]t the end of every hour by St. Paul’s clock show this ticket at the Museum door; enter, walking solemnly through every hall in the building; pass out, and resume your work."

The beggar moved off with his five bricks, and began his idiot’s play. Within half an hour, more than five hundred curious people were following him. In an hour, the crowd had doubled. When the brick-toting pied piper entered the Museum, dozens bought tickets to follow him. This continued throughout the day for several days, and Barnum’s business showed a satisfying increase.

Talk about buzz marketing!

Takeaway for marketers: Ask yourself: "What’s my brick?"

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 9th, 2005 at 12:01 am and is filed under Marketing Stuff, Marketing Takeaways.