Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Perfect Promotion Plan

Of course as a matter of course just because I made a prototype it didn't immediately lead to production.

The problems of facilities, ingredients, process, and manpower.

Fortunately the peanut butter recipe I made doesn't need any special ingredients other than peanuts, so if I can somehow obtain peanuts at a cheap price that's price competitiveness.

In 1901 Britain peanuts are a cheap yet not cheap existence.

The existence of peanuts itself has been known since the Age of Discovery in the 17th century, and from around the late 19th century they began to be imported daily, but because domestic demand in Britain is still not decent the import price wasn't that good.

But peanuts were a very low-priced food within America, so if I only secure the import route and expand demand all that difference was money.

To solve this problem Mr. Henry stepped forward first.

"Our Barclays Bank doesn't have a branch in America yet, but there is an investment contact office! I'll send a telegram to America right away and conclude a large-scale peanut import contract. It won't take long! I'll match it with the most advantageous conditions possible. Just in time my distant relative is operating a large farm in America!"

The submarine cable for telegrams laid across the Atlantic from the mid-19th century.

Only travel takes long, this kind of business contract where large money comes and goes was possible for real-time communication surprisingly quickly with telegrams and telephones.

"For the place I'll lend the newly built factory building next to our flour mill! For manpower I'll put in some of the veteran employees of my company for now. And if I put out an advertisement from now and recruit additional manpower it will be just right. In fact I had prepared the factory in advance to expand the bakery business. Saint George's protection must be following!"

It was Mr. Pitton's words. As expected of a quick-witted factory owner. Seeing the appearance of hands and feet matching this well, I asked to arrange a bakery company president.

Anyway we repeated various discussions. Thanks to the best experts of this era gathering all stories unfolded smoothly.

"Facilities... well. For now please give me the advance to buy materials. I'll stop all work in the workshop and put in all employees and somehow match the time."

Facility installation is of course Mr. Henry's exclusive. Since it's a test run for now just make about 10 more production lines, and if demand increases gradually expand? How many hundreds do I have to produce a day? I can't gauge this.

"Mr. Henry, as a matter of course you have to design minimizing all the flow from material input to processing and packaging as much as possible. You also have to thoroughly pay attention to hygiene. Please drill holes in the machine so it can be cleaned often."

"Hmm, I'll ponder as much as possible."

"Haha, for that part let's meet separately and discuss more! I have some know-how in mass processes!"

"Peanut butter packaging will be in glass bottles, right?"

"That side seems like it can utilize some of the process of our company's strawberry jam factory! The sales route can also use the path our company has opened so don't worry!"

Now what's left is Mr. Harding's role...

"Mr. Harding, do you know a bit about not only patents but also accounting or corporation-related work?"

"I know how to do all of it! Please just give me work!"

"Then let's leave all the complicated paperwork to Mr. Harding. Everyone agrees, right?"

"Since he's the person I recommended, of course I also agree! There's no one as capable as young Harding among the lawyers I know!"

This side is also resolved. Then now what's left is...

Promotion and marketing.

Needless to say the most important part. Can't be helped. Here I have to step forward directly and show the spiciness of a modern Korean.

In 1901 Britain, there was one more huge obstacle I had to overcome enough to pay attention to marketing like this.

So I secretly set up an emergency headquarters in the office inside the restaurant. At best it was only Mr. Henry coming and going and devising promotion strategies together.

###

The food culture of early 20th-century Britain was flowing in a somewhat unhealthy direction, but that doesn't mean people were completely indifferent to taste.

The preference for sweet, salty, sour, and umami-tasting food is basic human nature. Thanks to the developed flour milling industry and wheat production exceeding necessary demand, it was an era where anyone could eat wheat bread about two meals a day.

Naturally the British regarded jams or spreads that could produce various tastes by spreading on this wheat bread as essentials, and even poor households tried to have one or two kinds prepared.

Late 19th-century industrial revolution period Britain. There were two spreads that appeared like comets targeting such demand...

Golden Syrup, and Black Treacle (*Black Treacle, black treacle).

Both products are made by concentrating the by-products that come out in the sugar refining process once more, but honestly speaking it was the intention of boiling once more and selling because it was a waste to throw away sugar residue.

The second harm comparable to Marmite created by the hatred of British capitalists.

The advanced glycation end products (AGEs) generated in the process of producing the unique caramel aroma were also pointed out as a cause of adult diseases and chronic inflammation.

Moreover as much as sugar was concentrated of course higher calories, and high viscosity so it sticks well to teeth. This is a complete cavity outbreak trigger?

Right now the British were spreading this kind of food waste on bread saying it's delicious... Tsk tsk. Not even dreaming that they're converting to diabetes patients. Why on earth do they eat something that only makes you curse because it's too sweet?

Anyway it meant that the target my peanut butter had to win against in competition right now was these trash-like guys.

So I also decided to lend a hand to this trash game. Conscience? Fair and square? Such things originally don't exist in my dictionary.

"Golden Syrup... makes teeth rot? You're looking for a way to spread such a rumor everywhere?"

The method I chose was exactly slandering. And that aiming at the current point right before our product comes out to the market.

I intended to make it so that no one knows who spread it, and make the existing production companies do shadow boxing hard.

"Yes, that's correct. I think the cause of cavities is Golden Syrup. Didn't Mr. Henry also feel something strange from Golden Syrup?"

"Hmm... Even when I was young there was no such thing as Golden Syrup. But in the recent few years when Golden Syrup and Treacle became popular I did get the impression that people suffering from toothaches strangely increased. Honestly speaking, it was suspicious!"

Looking at the reality it's not slander but the spread of facts.

A point where dental research hasn't escaped the basic stage yet, so the common sense that sugar is harmful to teeth hasn't spread.

Right now people aren't completely ignorant about health. Realizations originating from experience and wisdom often approached the truth. Cases like Mr. Henry who harbored suspicion and was reluctant to consume were such.

But in London Golden Syrup and Treacle were still standing at the center of the trend enjoying explosive popularity. Until just over ten years ago sugar was an enjoyment of the middle class and above. But with the mass production of Golden Syrup anyone could easily encounter sweet taste, so there's no way that popularity would easily fade.

Moreover right now is an era that evaluated the advantages as a cheap energy source higher than the harm of sugar. There were many people who relieved the stress of hard labor of 70 hours a week with sweet Golden Syrup.

With quack doctors raving as if it's natural medical common sense to eat sugar syrup if you have a cough, how much more.

So to cut the image, a powerful shock therapy of that much was needed.

"Since I know many London newspaper sellers, spreading rumors in the media I'll somehow poke... But why is your expression like that?"

Mr. Henry's expression unable to continue speaking from shock and anger. What, why are you like that?

"I have to tell them to throw away all the Golden Syrup and Treacle in our house right away! I have to make sure my daughter Eleanor can't even touch it! I even spread it on scones this morning!"

Ah, it was that side? It seems Mr. Henry's family also enjoyed that sugar syrup. It's fortunate to make them throw it away even now.

Anyway the management secret method chapter 1 that works well even in modern times.

If the opponent I'm competing with is doing very well in the market, has a good image, and is leading the industry as number 1? How do I win?

Compete fairly with advantages and quality? No no. How long does it take to make money doing that? In an era without internet and SNS when will the marketing effect spread?

Answer. First cut down the competitor with rumors. Enough for us to step on and climb up.

Black propaganda, slander, bribing related parties, sabotage, putting in lobbying to politicians to impose additional taxes. Anything is fine.

Countless methods that could smash the image of Golden Syrup and Treacle came to mind, but honestly the disadvantage was so clear that everything else was unnecessary.

That is the fact that it's the worst for health.

In modern times it's common sense that if you eat a lot of sugar you gain weight and suffer from various adult diseases and diabetes and teeth rot, but in this era no one knows yet.

So I'm becoming a dark knight and trying to casually let them know.

In fact looking around there were not one or two people suffering from cavities. In this era once you reach a certain age everyone suffers from cavities at least once. Just looking at Grandma Jerry Main it's like that.

This is all a problem that arose because brushing is terrible. Even in 1901 Britain brushing was a general manner, but there was no proper toothpaste itself yet.

What is sold as toothpaste at general stores is only a bizarre-tasting abrasive in powder form. You apply this to a crude toothbrush made of pig hair and brush brush. So how can cavities disappear? And that while eating sugar like crazy every day?

So what I'm doing is a goodwill act of helping the British live a bit healthier. And my peanut butter, the taste is good but it's a tremendous health food?

"But as far as I know many London people sprinkle Treacle on morning oatmeal, and also use it in baking, will such black propaganda really work?"

"It won't work right away. The effect might not be big either. But just sowing the seed of suspicion is enough. The core is our peanut butter digging into that empty space."

Human obsession with sweet taste is stronger than imagination. Changing already hardened eating habits is also not easy.

As long as there's no recognition yet that eating sweet things is bad, there are limits to persuasion too.

There's no need to stick to only one spread while living, and London people don't only spread Golden Syrup on bread. They often enjoy strawberry jam or margarine, lemon curd and such. If it's a middle class with a bit of leeway at home even apple butter or orange marmalade.

That is, even if peanut butter is released right away at the current point, they could each go their own way without much influence on each other.

But the reason I expressed Golden Syrup as a mountain I have to overcome wasn't actually because of that part.

"It doesn't seem easy more than expected. Until now I haven't thought deeply, but digging into this field a bit more that company is something strange! There are this many promotional materials about Golden Syrup!"

"Right? They're advertising excessively that much. So they must have gained popularity rapidly. So we have to check them."

The mountain we have to overcome. That is that the company producing Golden Syrup and Treacle has a management crazy about marketing.

I felt it in my previous life too, but a company that is this obsessed with advertising when they see a latecomer what they do is obvious.

Forcibly step on and press down.

This company, the moment sales even slightly decline they'll point to my peanut butter as the cause and try to slander.

So before they identify friend or foe and come out we have to strike first.

And that digging a trap in the shadows. Try falling in deeply once and get dazed.