The Wonderful Wizard of Marketing: L. Frank Baum as Producer and Promoter

Abstract

This chapter examines L. Frank Baum’s transformation of Oz from story to brand in the context of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century shifts in markets and consumption patterns. We discuss Baum’s long career in sales, his contributions to the fledgling marketing profession, and his use of state-of-the-art marketing strategies and technologies to sustain Oz. For 20 years, Baum was the brand manager of Oz, until his death in 1919. We conclude with an analysis of what Oz offered its original consumers, speculating how—given the historical and cultural circumstances in which it was first produced and consumed—Oz achieved such unprecedented success during Baum’s lifetime.