Steal These Ideas!: Marketing Secrets That Will Make You a Star, 2nd Edition

Toppling the Category Leader with One Perfect Sentence

The ongoing fight for market share in the erectile dysfunction drug category is a great example of excitement, news, and a compelling call to action compressed into a few well-chosen words. As male Baby Boomers entered their 50s and 60s, they created a huge new market for a product designed to guarantee sexual performance. Pfizer was the first pharmaceutical company to capitalize on this need with the launch of Viagra, a purple miracle pill that would never let men down.

Viagra became an instant hit worldwide, quickly captured 75 percent of the market, and generated billions in annual sales. Products from rival companies soon appeared, but none were able to capture significant market share. ...