Rubies in the Orchard

Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER POM Wonderful. FIJI Water. Teleflora. The Franklin Mint. Lynda Resnick's marketing triumphs read like an encyclopedia of branding. She is the smartest and hardest-working marketing brain in the business - the kind of marketer who can sell "ice sculptures to Eskimos." But her brilliant ideas aren't simply the result of random inspiration; they're the products of a systematic approach to marketing that any company -- large or small -- can adapt to achieve success. In RUBIES IN THE ORCHARD, she divulges her secrets for creating some of the world's most memorable and iconic brands, and the bull's-eye strategies to sell them. Resnick believes that every company can find "rubies" in its orchard, elements of intrinsic value that consumers will desire. Here, she shows how every successful marketing campaign begins with uncovering these hidden gems, and communicating their value honestly and transparently to the consumer. Through Resnick's behind-the-scenes narrative, we learn the secrets of her extraordinary successes, including: POM Wonderful, the wildly popular 100% pomegranate juice that created an entirely new product category out of a fickle and obscure fruit; and FIJI Water, a fledgling brand she transformed into the #1 premium bottled water in America, with sales that have increased 300% since 2004. A born marketer, Resnick shares tales from a remarkable life, from opening her own ad agency at age 19 to the time she famously overpaid for Jackie Kennedy's pearls at auction, then transformed her "mistake" into tens of millions in sales for the Franklin Mint. Here for the first time, Resnick reveals her systematic approach to breaking through marketplace clutter and consumer cynicism, and creating blockbuster brands with true staying power.