Title - Otis elevator dramatic demonstration Tags - callumstory demonstration
Once upon a time, there was …
- In the early 19th century, passenger elevators were dangerous
Every day…
- The hemp ropes holding the elevators up would break and kill passengers
One day …
- A man called Elisha Otis invented a device to prevent an elevator from falling when its rope broke
Because of that …
- Otis started to selling his invention so people could use elevators safely
- Everybody was too scared of elevators to take a chance on his invention
Because of that …
- Otis only sold 3 elevators in 1853; in first few months of 1854, none.
Because of that …
- Otis needed a new plan to sell his safer elevators
Until finally …
- He set up a demonstration at the Worlds Fair in New York’s Crystal Palace
- Here’s how Otis Elevators tell the story today…
- “Perched on a hoisting platform high above the crowd at New York’s Crystal Palace, a pragmatic mechanic shocked the crowd when he dramatically cut the only rope suspending the platform on which he was standing. The platform dropped a few inches, but then came to a stop. His revolutionary new safety brake had worked, stopping the platform from crashing to the ground. “All safe, gentlemen!” the man proclaimed.”
Ever since then …
- By 1873, there were 2,000 Otis elevators in use, and they later fitted elevators in the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, and World Trade Center
- The elevator transformed the way we live. Real estate investors can now build high without buying more land. High-rise living quarters went from being the cheapest to the most expensive.
When Otis invented his safety device, the public was very skeptical of elevators. I guess they weren’t particularly keen on falling to their death from a great height.
Selling using normal methods was unsuccessful. Perhaps the buyers didn’t believe that the invention really was safe and trustworthy. The risk was too high. The demonstration solved that problem.
Simply, Otis put his life on the line to prove his invention was safe.
In advertising, just like when Otis tried to tell people he had found a way to make elevators safe, each claim is met with a corresponding level of resistance.
You must prove and credentialize your claims.
Purposes/points:
- Demonstration is the most effective form of proof
- You must prove that what you say is true