In 1881 how would you start a national word of mouth marketing campaign for a self invented product? William H. Luden might have started small cooking up chocolate and menthol cough drops from the rear of his father’s jewelry shop in Reading, Pennsylvania. But Luden was a visionary, and as our friend John Moore would say, he made the common, uncommon. William Luden made his own chocolate for his candies while most confectioners at that time did not. Luden also was a visionary in the 1880’s: I’m sure it was hard to carry around vials of menthol to sip on to help fight colds. So the amber colored cough drops were a major step in convenience and they had a great opportunity to pass on and share. Most products in the 1880’s were sold through traveling salesmen, but Luden showed his visionary trait again by giving out samples of his menthol cough drops to railroad workers. The railroad workers who traveled the tracks of America, spread the word about these cough drops. Luden happened to live in Reading home of Reading Railroad of Monopoly fame and at one time the worlds largest corporation. I’m guessing here that Luden took the biggest opportunity that was right were he lived, the Reading Railroad. With a little luck and some visionary thinking. He became successful from Luden Menthol Cough Drops to the 5th Avenue Candy Bar.

Source credit: ReadingEagleOnline.com