Even after 31 years people are still buying Ron Popeil’s classic novelty item The Pocket Fisherman. Recently, the item has been re-released into retail stores where it is doing quite well and that is not bad for an item many people have joked about as being ineffective.
Well, regardless of whether or not it is an effective product Ron Popeil has sold millions of these items and he did so one way and one way alone: convincing the public that this seemingly inane product had the value of convenience.
In 1976, a series of television commercials promoted the value of a mini fishing rod that was no more than ten inches long. The main selling point on this item was the fact that it was easy to carry. Yes, that’s it??¦it was an easily transportable fishing rod. While serious fishing anglers dismissed the Pocket Fisherman as a dopey idea the product sold well over a million units before the year was out.
The reason for this was simple: there were a lot of people out there who never fished before that though the idea of a compact affordable fishing rod made the sport more accessible to them. It was this marketing strategy that struck a nerve with the public and made the Pocket Fisherman a bizarre product that still sells to this very day. In fact, it may very well be the best selling fishing rod in history.