10 Marketers Who Transformed American Culture

PT BARNUM The showman created some of the most sensational promotional stunts of the 19th century. Barnum stole a place in the marketing hall of fame by staging outrageous hoaxes, through which he drove audiences to his American Museum and captured the imagination of the country. Barnum took a country still suspicious of spectacles and had it shed its conservatism; scholars credit him with spurring America to embrace spectacle. R.H. MACY In 1858, R.H. Macy launched a small, "fancy" dry-goods store. Its emblem was a memorable red star, sourced from the tattoo Macy got as a young sailor. With this store, Macy attempted new tactics. Instead of haggling, he presented customers with clearly marked prices and actively advertised them. These practices led to $36 million in sales by 1918. Six years later, Macy's Herald Square expanded to become the "World's Largest Store." WALT DISNEY Walt Disney created his first shorts in the 1920s. In 1928, he won over the public with Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie. When he introduced color and produced features in the 1930s, his studio skyrocketed into popularity. By World War II the federal government noticed the positive effect Disney's films had on American morale and contracted them to create cartoons for the war effort. In 1954, he was one of the first to introduce full-color programming to TV. ROBERT PITTMAN The "MTV Generation" resulted from the programming efforts of Robert Pittman, who began shaping content for the Music Television cable network in 1981. With his unique blend of creative, business and research savvy, Pittman molded a brand that clicked with the youth of the day. MTV stood out from the traditional networks and became the most profitable cable network of the time. It has since expanded to MTV Networks, which operates in more than 160 countries. SAM WALTON In 1945, with a $10,000 loan from his father, Sam Walton bought a franchised variety store. He experimented with practices like longer hours, buying inventory in large quantities and offering a broad assortment of goods at budget prices. With the five-and-dime store Walton later opened, he put check-out counters near the exit, having consumers pay for everything at once. It was the foundation for his first Walmart in 1962. HENRY FORD After several years spent working with industrial jobs, Henry Ford built his first self-propelled carriage in 1896. Seven years later, he formed the Ford Motor Co. with just $28,000, and in 1908, the company produced the Model T. The car sold 15,500,000 in the U.S. alone over the next 19 years because of Ford's assembly-line approach to mass production and the low cost. He revolutionized America with the Model T.

10 Marketers Who Transformed American Culture

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