How To Sell A Fridge To An Eskimo: A Marketing Stunt and A Lesson In Listening To Your Customer's Needs

Ever since I read about James Sterling Moran, a publicity icon and a master of outrageous stunt, I wanted to know HOW he managed to sell a refrigerator to an Alaska Eskimo.

Last week, I found an answer. Turns out, none other than Toronto's own Mel Lastman pulled out a similar stunt and sold a fridge to an Inuit.

First, a few words about Mel. He is our former mayor and the holder of the world record of mayoral longevity (38 years in a row!). In 1955, he founded a chain of furniture and electronics stores called Bad Boy.

Bad Boy had to compete with the "big boys", large retailers with deep pockets and a lot of dollars in their advertising budgets. Our hero managed to survive and prosper -- and become a celebrity -- by using a series of publicity stunts designed to seize the attention of the buying public.

So, how did our Bad Boy Mel manage to sell a fridge to an Inuit?

He LISTENED to his customer's needs.

Inuit don't need a fridge to keep the food cold. There is no lack of permafrost to ensure their food doesn't go bad prematurely .

Where the fridge comes in handy is when they need to protect the food from the animals never ceasing to try to dig it out and steal it.

Last week, ex-mayor Mel returned to Bad Boy. One can only guess what other publicity stunts Mr. Lastman has up his sleeve. One thing's for sure: The Brick, Leon's and their likes are about to lose some customers.