Harry Houdini, born Ehrich Weiss in 1874, dazzled American and European audiences with spectacular magic and illusion feats until his death on Halloween, 1926. Adapting his name from his hero, J. E. Robert-Houdin, a French magician, Houdini quickly established himself as the top entertainer in the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While everyone knows about his marvels as a legendary magician and escape artist, few know that much of his success was due to superb marketing.
Here are five marketing lessons learned from Houdini that you can apply to your entrepreneurial venture (and you don't need to wear a strait-jacket or be handcuffed to pull off this marketing magic).
1. Always be prepared! Houdini always had a plan and was very resourceful. He was ready for any physical or mental challenge. While Houdini clearly took chances, he believed in managing risk. He used his superior intellect to conduct research and obtain knowledge of all situations and always had the right tools to get the job done. It was not uncommon for Houdini to spend up to 10 hours a day practicing challenging escapes.
2. Leap-frog the competition. Houdini constantly studied the market and prepared for imitators and new competitors. He dissected strategies used by his rivals and never let his competitors know what he would do next. He read every book that was published on magic acquiring a personal library of more than 5,000 volumes on the subject. While rivals were content to break out of handcuffs, Houdini did this while suspended upside down from skyscrapers, on top of bridges or immersed in water.
3. Fine-tune your positioning strategy. Houdini understood the sheer power of a brand name a century before this became all the rage in marketing. Quality was at the heart of his value proposition, always exceeding customers' expectations in his live performances. He knew that perception was reality and had every detail worked out in advance to provide a superior customer experience. While other magicians made rabbits disappear, Houdini vanished a full-grown elephant in plain sight. To extend his brand, Houdini went global and conquered Europe, as well as America.
4. Build a world-class product. Houdini carefully guarded his trade secrets and invested in his product. He diversified to build his product line and product mix. An advocate of the kaizen approach (continuous improvement), Houdini regularly sought incredible new offerings while enhancing his existing repertoire of tried and true stunts. His three minute water torture escape from a steel-encased cabinet was world renowned. This was one of his several signature acts that could not be replicated.
5. Be creative and never stop promoting. Houdini was the consummate sales pro as well as the master showman and publicist. He stimulated word-of-mouth promotion in every city he visited by promising unimaginable events that he later successfully executed. Houdini often dropped in on local police stations during the day in the cities he was visiting and challenged them to keep him from escaping their most secure chains/restraints, handcuffs, jail cells, or locks (his arsenal of four hidden keys/picks always got the job done). The publicity gained from these teaser appearances drew huge interest to his evening shows. The word spread nationally and internationally in an era that had no television or internet!
Suggested reading: Cannell, J.C. (1989), The Secrets of Houdini, NY: Bell Publishing Company.
Art Weinstein, Ph.D., is Chair and Professor of Marketing at the Huizenga School. His research interests are customer value, market segmentation and entrepreneurial marketing strategies. He may be reached at art@nova.edu
#1 by Barry Barnes on 2/2/15 - 12:25 PM
#2 by Dr. Mohammed Ahmed on 2/5/15 - 4:02 PM
#3 by Angelina Heron on 2/5/15 - 9:48 PM
#4 by Edson Paul on 2/6/15 - 10:13 AM
#5 by Dr. Mohammed Ahmed on 2/6/15 - 12:58 PM
#6 by Jane Arango on 2/8/15 - 12:40 PM
#7 by Deirdre Hylton on 2/8/15 - 3:51 PM
Lesson 1 is important for the simple fact that 55% of new businesses fail with in five years (Data from Statistical Brain). This trend of failing businesses can be prevented and cured with Houdini’s intellect and research approach. People have great ideas but more research and execution will set the business plan for success.
Lesson 5 be creative and never stop promoting, is very powerful it proves that the job or messages is never done there is always more work to do.
#8 by Art Weinstein on 2/9/15 - 8:41 PM
#9 by Julian Davis on 2/11/15 - 5:34 PM
#10 by Aline Pereira on 2/11/15 - 10:25 PM
#11 by Erika Kersh on 2/11/15 - 10:40 PM
#12 by Caitlin Behr on 2/11/15 - 10:53 PM
#13 by Ivelisse Aparicio on 2/12/15 - 1:24 PM
I was familiar with Houdini as a magician, and figured much of his success was simply due to his tricks. I never stopped to analyze exactly how he became a world-known magician. It's surprising to think that many years ago Houdini put into practice many of the marketing concepts that we are learning about now, such as branding. I found it interesting how he used word of mouth, and the tease appearances at police departments, as a way to promote his shows. He was indeed a genius in marketing.
#14 by Catherine Cabrera on 2/12/15 - 3:48 PM
#15 by Edna Zambrano on 2/12/15 - 5:08 PM
He certainly created more than what a speed of reaction, idea generation or a simple execution marketing plan would create for his audience but rather he made out the most of each opportunity to connect with his customers on a reliable and continuous basis. His marketing lessons (product line improvement, product diversity/quality and brand perception) in his successful selling strategy, provided information about out of the world products. In addition, he created a unique corporate image which I believe was the one responsible for increasing not only the sales but also to achieve brand equity and customer value. His story represents the real magical marketing experience that other companies should explore in order to create a real marketing plan and corporate image. Marketing strategies should be heading in that direction as Houdini marketing lesson taught us generation after generation.
#16 by Mahreen Din on 2/13/15 - 1:11 PM
#17 by Sheara Brown Gbenro on 2/13/15 - 2:29 PM
#18 by Brittani McCray-Fleureme on 2/13/15 - 4:38 PM
#19 by Anna Pineda on 2/13/15 - 7:54 PM
#20 by G.Leigh Hardaway on 2/14/15 - 12:25 PM
In the 21st Century, we tend to forget that technological tools and resources are just resources. The human principles of building relationships are undergirded beneath the successes of business relationships, along with the assistance with social media, media communication, and technology gadgets. We are so intrigued with the Steve Jobs & Bill Gates stories and how they became American business successes by pursuing their passions.
Reading the Houdini story, now I am interested in looking at other historical business leaders and the impact of how they built their business entities. Brilliance!
#21 by David L Thomas on 2/14/15 - 2:16 PM
#22 by Mychele Robles on 2/14/15 - 9:44 PM
#23 by Staycie Salomon on 2/15/15 - 2:59 PM
#24 by Irene Vomvolakis on 2/15/15 - 7:50 PM
#25 by snyquis Walden on 2/15/15 - 9:20 PM
#26 by Israel Ferreira on 2/15/15 - 10:42 PM
#27 by Local Adworks on 3/30/15 - 2:31 PM
#28 by Marie Ang on 10/28/15 - 11:48 AM
#29 by Anowska Fonte on 11/7/15 - 10:43 PM
#30 by Ebony Smith on 1/15/16 - 10:48 PM
#31 by Andreea Rusu on 11/4/16 - 9:37 PM