French fries. Gnocchi. Kugel. Pierogi. Europeans love them some potato. But it wasn’t long ago when this Peruvian import was viewed as hog feed that caused leprosy in humans.
This all changed thanks to research and savvy marketing by the French scientist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier. It was the mid-18th century and Parmentier was serving as an army pharmacist in the Seven Years’ War. The Prussians captured the big thinker and forced him to eat potatoes. He survived (with all limbs and digits intact) and returned to France determined to promote the potato as a viable food source.
Parmentier conducted experiments that proved potatoes were nourishing and helped cure dysenteric patients. He was showered with praises and awards from the scientific community. The French Parliament even lifted the national ban on potato cultivation. Yet his countrymen couldn’t seem to shake the hog feed stigma and continued in their non-potato eating ways.
When support from the government and academia failed his efforts, Parmentier turned to marketing. He hosted dinners for dignitaries (including Benjamin Franklin) with potato dishes proudly served. He delivered beautiful bouquets of potato blossoms to the King and Queen. But perhaps his most ingenious tactic was placing guards around his potato patch with explicit instructions to accept all bribes and look the other way when people tried to steal the crop.
Parmentier understood the basic human condition and marketed against our weaknesses. He sought celebrity endorsements, influenced the influencers, and created a high perceived value among consumers. After the potato saved France from famine in 1785 and 1795, the hearty tuber officially made the jump from feared to revered.
So the next time you order steak frites, take a moment to thank Monsieur Parmentier.
[Source:Â Wikipedia]
