(PT Barnum, The Shakespeare of Advertising) Here is what caught my interest - Smarting from his reputation as a Humbug man, Barnum had the idea to bring some high culture to the United States. In 1849, Barnum contracted with Swedish opera singer to come to the United States and give 150 concerts for the amazing sum of $1000 per concert (an unheard of sum in those days.) And Barnum had never heard her sing! When Jenny Lind asked him how he could hire her without hearing her, Barnum replied "I have more faith in your reputation than in my musical judgement." Barnum's uncanny ability to gain publicity paid off, and when Jenny's ship arrived in New York harbor (September 1850), she was already a superstar. 30,000 people came to meet her boat, and not one of them had heard her sing!. Rather than selling seats in the usual manner, Barnum auctioned off the first few seats. Jenny-mania was so extreme that the first man to purchase the Jenny Lind tickets in New York (hat maker Genin) ended up making a national name for himself and garnishing huge amounts of publicity. In Providence, RI, one man paid $650 for the pleasure of hearing Jenny sing. Jenny gave a total of 93 concerts in the states. Barnum paid her double the contracted salary, plus all the expenses, and still cleared over $700,000 in profits. He had convinced Americans that they needed to hear opera. Her bio Jenny Lind - Wikipedia
Old PT was a lot of things, but a money makers was obvious. I often wonder how he would fair in today's media saturated world..
