Whenever someone says effective marketing has nothing to do with aesthetics I can’t help but think about salt. That’s right, salt. It’s the most boring commodity on the planet. NaCl. It’s chemically the same no matter where in the world you dig it up.

Salt is salt is salt.

Yet, there is one brand of salt that out sells all other brands for over 50 years now. How do they do it? The ultimate coup in commodity sales is accomplished with the help of an iconic graphic of a little girl in a yellow rain slicker carrying an umbrella.

Next time you hear creative execution doesn’t matter, remember the Morton Salt girl.

Morton Salt Facts:

• Morton Salt recently made the Fortune Magazine list of “100 Great Things About America”
• The company has a rich history dating back to 1848
• Morton Salt, Inc. and its subsidiaries employ nearly 3,000 people in the U.S., Canada and the Bahamas