The Mindfulness Edge

3Organizational Climate Change

In 1869, Joseph Campbell and Abraham Anderson started a canned goods company in Camden, New Jersey. Anderson left the company in 1876, and after a couple of name changes, the company gradually settled on Campbell Soup Company, commonly referred to as Campbell's.

In 1897, Campbell's introduced five varieties of condensed soup, including the tomato soup that is still one of its best-selling products. In 1911, the company started distributing its soup throughout the United States. By the early 1970s, Campbell Soup Company had become an international firm and one of the largest food companies in the world.

The company had invested heavily in advertising—which significantly strengthened the brand—as early as the 1930s when the famous “M'm m'm good” jingle first started to hit the airwaves over radio. Ronald Reagan was an early spokesperson for the company, promoting the V8 brand. The Campbell's brand grew to become extremely strong, perhaps even iconic, and it gradually acquired a variety of other strong brands as well. In 1990, Campbell's produced their 20 billionth can of condensed tomato soup.

Despite Campbell's brand strength and its apparent success, by the end of the 1990s the company was in serious trouble. Sales were falling because of a decision from senior management to raise prices. Campbell's share price was falling quickly, and the firm was ...