Pitched Unfairly

Home PartiesA go-to-market plan by Brownie Wise

Tupperware belongs at the party.

For Earl Tupper · Florida · 1951

01 · The product, and why it isn't selling

The best bowl in America needs a demonstration.

Launched
1946, in polyethylene
Price
39 cents
The seal
Airtight, patented 1947
The press
"Fine art for 39 cents"

In a store, nobody shows you the burp.

  1. 1Press the center
  2. 2Lift one edge
  3. 3Hear the burp

02 · The channel, and why it fits

On a shelf it's a 39-cent bowl. At a party it's a show.

Who shows the seal
NobodyA dealer, every time
Who is watching
One shopper, in a hurryA living room of friends
What happens next
She tries the next aisleA guest books her own party

1949: Brownie's party team outsold every store. Over $150,000.

Aisle 6, any department storeA Tuesday night in Florida

03 · The customer, and where she gathers

She doesn't trust plastic. She trusts her friends.

Who
A homemaker in a new postwar house
Wants
Modern things, and money of her own
Doubts
Plastic. She has heard it melts and smells.
Her living room
Church socialsThe back fenceHer blockAunts and cousinsThe old neighborhood

04 · The motion, step by step

Every party ends by booking the next one.

  1. 1Invite The hostess asks her friends over.
  2. 2Demonstrate The dealer tosses a sealed bowl of grape juice.
  3. 3Order Guests order from the dealer, at list price.
  4. 4Thank The hostess gets a gift for her kitchen.
  5. 5Book A guest books her own party.

Then it starts again, in her living room.

05 · The funnel, guest to manager

One dealer, three years, a whole sales force.

Plan assumptions. Drag them.

One dealer, one year

  1. 1,000Guests see the demo
  2. 200Hosts book a party
  3. 6Dealers join the team
  4. 34Managers by year three

Her team after three years

343

The real network by 1954: 20,000 dealers, distributors and managers.

The bowl, at launch

39cents

One list price, at every party

06 · Pricing and incentives

The guest pays list price. Everyone else gets paid.

  • The guest Pays list price. Goes home with a bowl that burps.
  • The hostess Earns gifts for her kitchen, for lending her living room and her friends.
  • The dealer Keeps the difference between retail and wholesale.
  • The company Takes the wholesale price, and spends far less on ads than most.

07 · The people who sell it

Recruit at the party. Reward in public.

Recruit
At every party. No degree, no capital, no office.
Train
Know-How, our dealer guide. Its advice: look at the guests.
"You build the people and they'll build the business."Brownie Wise
The prize table
Your name and photo in Sparks, every monthYour picture in your hometown paperAn electric ironA trip to Europe with BrownieA visit from Brownie for your distributorshipThe dress she is wearing, given away onstage

08 · Launch plan and milestones

Out of the stores in 1951. A Jubilee by 1954.

  1. April 1951 Set up Tupperware Home Parties.
  2. 1951 Out of every store. Parties only.
  3. Late 1951 Break ground on 1,000 acres in Kissimmee. Work from a hangar till then.
  4. 1952 Sales past $2 million.

1954 · The first Jubilee

600 top sellers dig for prizes buried in the yard.

Staff note: Florida soil is swamp. Dig deeper.

Done

09 · Metrics

Count parties, not shelf space. They add up.

Every week, we count

  • Parties held
  • Hosts booked
  • Dealers recruited

Sales, 1954

$25M

  1. 1949 $150K+ Brownie's Detroit team alone
  2. 1952 $2M+ Tupperware Home Parties
  3. 1954 $25M Tupperware Home Parties

20,000 dealers, distributors and managers by 1954

10 · Risks

Three risks we can handle. One we didn't see.

RiskMitigationStatus
Nobody trusts plastic. Throw a sealed bowl across the room at every party. Handled
Shoppers can't work the seal. Never sell it without a demonstration. No stores. Handled
Jubilee prizes sink into the swamp. Dig deeper. A few turn up years later. Mostly
The founder hates the limelight, and the press credits the saleswoman. None in this plan. Happened

1954: Brownie Wise became the first woman on the cover of BusinessWeek. January 1958: Earl Tupper fired her. She held no stock and got one year's salary. That year he sold the company to Rexall for $16 million.

11 · The ask

Take it out of the stores. Give me the parties.

  • Parties onlyTake Tupperware off every store shelf.
  • FloridaRun the whole sales force from there.
  • The titleVice president, Home Parties.

RSVPHe said yes. 1951.