In 2019, over 188 million Americans used mixes instead of flour to make cakes. This was up from 60 million in 2016. But when invented, the cake mix almost flopped. Why? (1/n)

Towards the end of the 1940s, ready mixes made it easy for people to bake cakes, pie crusts, and biscuits. They simply had to add water and voila! (2/n)

These mixes made their way into people’s shopping carts, and ultimately, their homes. But while the mixes to make pie crusts and biscuits sold like hotcakes, sales of cake mixes (which used the same ingredients) stagnated. (3/n)

Marketers speculated that the cakes tasted artificial, which was partly true. But there was more. (4/n)

A team led by market research pioneer, Dr. Ernest Dichter, discovered that cake mixes simplified the baking process so much that women felt the cakes weren’t “theirs.” (5/n)

Unlike biscuits and pie crusts, cakes represent a special occasion and carry great emotional significance. The cake premixes made women feel guilty for cheating their family out of the specialness of a home-made cake. (6/n)

They also risked disappointing their guests who would feel as though they were not treated to something special. (7/n)

Dichter’s solution? Just add an egg. When companies followed this advice, when women had to add fresh eggs, oil, and milk along with water to the cake mix, sales went through the roof. (8/n)

The Pillsbury advertisements also read, “Betty Crocker cake mixes bring you that special homemade goodness because you add the eggs yourself!”, implying that the women were still in charge. (9/n)

Then, premade frosting and elaborate decorations came in. Women could demonstrate their fondness for loved ones by turning their home-made cakes into castles, football fields, and churches. And that changed the fate of cake mixes. (10/n)

We like easy things. But if things are too easy, we get bored. Things we earn make us feel proud. (11/n)

We love IKEA though the company outsources all the labor to us because even a crooked bookshelf that we build is “my bookshelf!”. We love books where we “discover” revelations because they make us feel like Sherlock Holmes. (12/n)

This is also why we despise office politics. We want to earn a pay raise or promotion through hard work, not through sycophancy or scheming. (13/n)

So as a creator, brand, or leader don’t try to “take care of everything” for your audience or customers. Find out what fills them with pride and then help them achieve it. Crack this formula and you’ll build an army of loyalists. (n/n)