It would be beyond my capacity for comprehension if someone were to read Douglas Martin's obituary on John S. Barry in today's paper and still think that obituaries are only about dead people.
I've probably read obituaries with as many facts--and the good ones have facts--but this one is as much about the person as it is a business school case study on how to run a company. It is too bad John Barry has left us, but I think it would be worse if WD-40 left us as well. Talk about a legacy.
First, there's the lesson in the obituary about the name, WD-40. Always assumed it had something to do with 40 weight aerosol oil. No. It stands for a "water displacement" formula that was finally successful on the 40th attempt.
It was never patented. Patents can protect your invention, but applying for them can create a filing trail that reveals secrets. No patent. Few imitators. No one near the same market share.
Trademarks, distinctive coloring, packaging, distribution channels all vaulted the company into a world-wide known name under Mr. Barry's stewardship.
The ultimate in product recognition. The name becomes synonymous with the product category. Aerosol lubricants are all WD-40 no matter who makes them. Scotch tape is cellophane tape, even if 3M has no hand in it.
Consumers become the sales force. They recite so many uses for the product that they become advertisers.
And like all good obituary writers, Mr. Martin gives us a parting gift, like something from a game show. One of the cited uses for WD-40 was freeing a tongue stuck to cold metal.
Truthfully, if I ever found myself in that situation, and someone pulled out the product found in 80 per cent of American homes (okay, but how many ERs?), I think I'd wait for the metal to heat up.
If I could.
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