Passage 2
Today, most of us recognize Wally "Famous"Amos, the man who gave his name to the original gourmet cookie. 【(56) The company founded by Amos has achieved nationwide tribution of several flavors of its cookies in stores and has scattered retail stores world-wide, with franchises in Japan, Australia and Canada, as well as the United States】
In 1988, Wally Amos was just another talent agent trying to succeed in Hollywood. However, he soon developed another calling. Friends told him that the cookies he made were so good that he should sell them, and eventually Amos took their advice.【 (57) Some of these friends packed up their advice by investing , 000 in his venture, the Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Company, and the world's first gourmet cookie shop opened in 1988】. It was an instant success.
News of Famous Amos spread by word of mouth, and in a classic example of great demand, consumers would walk into stores and ask the owners why they did not stock Famous Amos cookies. The company relied solely on his informal sort of marketing for its first five years. When Amos started his company, he had made no plans for such growth His first retail "hot bake"shop appeared to be eaming a profit and, after all, in his words,“All wanted to do was make a living. "【(58) Consumer demand grew and requests began to pour in from other areas, but Amos did not have the funds to expand his cookie shop concept into a chain.】 He also wanted to avoid the risk of expanding through borrowing funds. Then the idea struck him-just as it had McDonald's Ray Kroc 30 years earlier: franchising. 【(59) The firm distributed its frozen dough directly to the franchised " hot bake" shops located in suburban shopping centers and downtown walk-in locations】
【(60) Amos also used other distribution alternatives to get the cookies into supermarkets, convenience outlets, "mom-and-pop"stores, and gift shops that make up the Famous Amos market, by contracting with an independent wholesale distributor.】 This distribution channel saved the company the cost of starting its own network, while giving it access to an already established distribution system, without which the young company might have failed. Even though many store owners were unhappy about doing business with products offering such a low markup, consumer demand was so strong that retailer complaints soon fell to a trickle and distribution became more widespread.
Famous Amos tailored its cookies to its markets. Frozen dough was shipped directly to the firm's franchised "hot bake" shops. For supermarkets, it offered several different sizes of cookies, and sets up racks for the packages in the fleshly baked goods section, rather than on the cookie shelf. For convenience stores, one-and two-ounce bags were created to save and to encourage impulse sales. It now makes several flavors of cookies (oatmeal-based cookies are the nation's best sellers).
Demand was created in part by the cookie's taste. The gourmet cookie shop concept was entirely novel, and to outlast the novelty Famous Amos cookies had to be good. But while consumers like the taste of the cookies (a recent Consumer Report's test rated famous Amos's chocolate chip cookies one of the best-tasting brands available), much of the success of
Famous Amos is based on effective person marketing. Wally Amos's winning grin gleams from each package of Famous Amos cookies, and his presence seems to give the cookies an identity that its competitors lack. John Rosica, a public relations executive with the company, called Wally a perpetual promotion. In recognition of his role in the company's success, the Smithsonian's collection of Advertising History includes his Panama hat and brightly patterned Indian gauze shirt.
By the late 1990s, interest in the gourmet cookie had waned so that only few locations could support bake shops devoted exclusively to cookies. Famous Amos decided to change its placement from gourmet cookie to quality family cookie. Package sizes were changed from 2.5, 7-, and 16-ounce packages to 12-ounce size for wholesale distribution to grocery store outlets and a 30-ounce size for food-club stores. A 2-ounce package was also developed to be sold through vending machines As of 2002, there were only a few bake shop franchises operating 15 stores, and Famous Amos was restricting itself to making finished cookies.
Even though Amos sold his ownership interest in the firm in 1998, Famous Amos continued to rely solely on promotions that feature Wally. Among the most successful promotions have been its efforts at cause marketing The company worked in conjunction with literacy councils in several American cities, having stores contribute a percentage of profits to literacy programs. Such promotions resulted in greatly increased sales, including a 38 percent sales jump in Philadelphia.
Who is Wally Amos?
A.The man who was once a successful figure in Hollywood. B.The man who had a cookie store in the United States. C.The man who originated the idea of gourmet cookie. D.The man who originated the idea of franchise operation.正确答案C
