It's all about the marketing

I wrote in Wednesday's Sun about a humorous exchange I had with my mother last weekend. Notoriously not known for her baking skills, she asked me to make brownies and pumpkin bread for a bake sale at Hart College during Murray State University's Homecoming celebration last weekend. Both came from mixes, so it wasn't like rocket science, but she couldn't believe how easily I whipped those treats up as she worked to put all the dinner dishes away. Once the brownies finished baking, I asked her where her decorative bags were.

She looked puzzled. Doesn't everyone keep decorative bags or at least plastic wrap and curly ribbon in their pantries?

"Mom, it's all about the marketing," I said, as the tempting smell of fresh brownies wafted in front of me.

"Marketing," she asked. Remember, this is a woman who holds a master's and Ph.D., but obviously not in bake sale success.

"Yes, marketing," I said. "You have to put the brownies in decorative bags or wrap them in colored plastic wrap and tie them with a curly ribbon. You want your treats to stand out when people come to the table to decide. A plain bag won't sell. Even if it's store-bought, you have to take that extra step to make your goodies stand out from the rest."

She shook her head, still refusing to believe that making the brownies look oh-so-cute would lure people to plunk down their quarter.

When she arrived at Tent City the next morning, she found that even her college students knew the secret to bake sale success. Emily W. baked blueberry and chocolate muffins and wrapped each with plastic wrap topped with a decorative ribbon. Another student decorated her plain zippered bags with "Go Racers! Happy Homecoming." Another student had bought decorative bags with a Halloween theme.

"How do people know about this," she asked me at one point.

"It's instinct," I replied, still not understanding how she didn't get the concept of making her goodies look better or the concept of display with cute signs.

But by the end of the bake sale, she had the last laugh. Guess which goodies sold out?