PASSAGE 1: How to Make Millions with a Rock
By Carolynn Susannah Feasting
Rocks are everywhere, and they come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Most rocks are free, because you can simply pick one up off the ground and put it in your pocket. So, it is incredible that someone would be able to make millions of dollars from selling rocks to people that they could otherwise pay nothing for, but it happened! It is the “Pet Rock,” and over the last 40 years, consumers have spent millions of dollars buying them to keep on shelves or give away as gifts.
Pet Rocks were sold with a manual on how to train and raise a new pet rock. Dahl became a millionaire instantly after selling approximately five million Pet Rocks.
The Pet Rock’s creator, Gary Dahl, did not invent rocks, of course, but he did find a way to make people want to buy them. By using his skills as an advertising executive, he understood how to get people to buy something that they did not need and probably would not have ever thought of buying on their own. For years, Dahl had listened to people complaining about all of the trouble involved in raising a pet. Many parents would buy a pet for their children only to be stuck with feeding, bathing, walking, and doing the tasks necessary to keep the pet healthy and happy themselves. Dahl’s solution to this problem—invent a pet that never needed feeding, walking, bathing, or grooming, and would not die, become sick, or be disobedient, as with a real pet. Once he started selling his Pet Rock, the idea caught on. Within six months, he had made more than 15 million dollars.
It would be very difficult to set up a stand with a bunch of rocks on it and get people to buy them. Dahl had to do much more than that to convince people that the Pet Rock was something they had to have. This was where Dahl’s skills in advertising would pay off; he was able to come up with a marketing plan that made the Pet Rock a must-have item for everyone. The key to marketing the Pet Rock was convincing people that it was actually a pet; so, Dahl came up with a 32-page manual full of puns, gags, and plays on words that referred to the rock as an actual pet, which also included care instructions, a guide for training the new pet, and a backstory for the rock. It worked!
Many products use promotional gimmicks (like the one that sold so many Pet Rocks) that use strategies that grab the buyer’s attention and emphasize the idea that the product is something the buyer must have or must give as a gift. Over time, a product (such as the Pet Rock) can gain a cult following and become something fondly remembered.
What CENTRAL idea can be found in BOTH passages? Use at least ONE detail from Passage 1 and at least ONE detail from Passage 2 to support your response. Write your answer in the space provided. Remember to clearly reference the texts.
The central idea found in both passages is the power of effective advertising and marketing strategies in convincing people to purchase and value otherwise ordinary or unnecessary objects.
In Passage 1, it states that the creator of the Pet Rock, Gary Dahl, used his skills as an advertising executive to convince people to buy rocks by portraying them as pets. He understood people's frustrations with traditional pets and marketed the Pet Rock as a low-maintenance alternative. Dahl's marketing plan, including a 32-page manual, successfully convinced people that the Pet Rock was something they had to have.
In Passage 2, it mentions that many products use promotional gimmicks to grab the buyer's attention and emphasize the idea that the product is a must-have. It also states that over time, these products can gain a cult following and become fondly remembered.
Both passages highlight the effectiveness of advertising and marketing techniques in creating demand and value for otherwise ordinary or unnecessary objects, such as rocks.