IntroductionThe following report on the topic will focus on Josiah Wedgwood and his sales and marketing techniques. Consumerism was very important to Wedgwood, without it he would never have had the success he did. Having only recently met Wedgwood, it is clear to me that the man was truly ahead of his time when it came to sales and marketing. The report on the subject will begin with a brief overview of Wedgwood's beginnings, the profound effect his mother had on him and Etruria's works in Stoke-on-Trent. The report will then focus on the different techniques Wedgwood used to market his products. The report will look in depth at his use of royal patronage and his strategy of starting at the head and working his way down to the lower members. Wedgwood's work has been hugely successful overseas and this report will explain his strategy and how he succeeded in the overseas market. From this investigation it is clear that Josiah Wedgwood is a man with incredible vision and enormous talent. Josiah's use of showrooms was also another important element of his strategy and this report will examine how he and Thomas Bentley executed these plans. Finally the report will focus on his catalog of wares and the significant impact he had on the economy and terracotta industry. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayReport on the topicDuring the second half of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries a great economic and social change occurred in Britain. Innovation bought wealth and a new middle class emerged within society. These were exciting times, confidence was high and the future was very bright indeed. The Industrial Revolution made anything seem possible and provided artists and craftsmen with new materials, tools and techniques to create their works. Among the skilled craftsmen was a potter named Josiah Wedgwood. Wedgwood was born on 12 July 1730 in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. Little is known about his childhood, however Wedgwood's biographer, Eliza Meteyard, stated that his greatest influence was his mother. Wedgwood's mother instilled in him the values ​​of education and hard work. In 1769, Wedgwood opened the Etruria Works in Stoke-on-Trent. The Etruria plant was Wedgwood's pottery factory, active for approximately 180 years. The factory takes its name from some of the finest Greek ceramics found in tombs in Etruria, central Italy. Wedgwood extensively renovated the Etruria works to house his pottery factory. The plans included a canal, a pier, two courtyards to link the three factory blocks together, and a house for Wedgwood's business partner, Thomas Bentley. Etruria became a pioneer factory not only in ceramics but also in the system of division of labor. Before Wedgwood, pottery was something of a cottage industry. However, the use of a system of division of labor allowed Wedgwood to produce pottery on a larger scale than before and ensured a new uniformity of quality. Wedgwood used an interesting but revolutionary technique for his time to market and sell his pottery. Wedgwood's techniques involved donating pieces of his work to the royal houses of Europe. The royals would then display Wedgwood's works in their palaces for the nobility and middle class to see. In a letter to Thomas Bentley, Wedgwood states: “Their Majesties are very good indeed! I hope that we will not lose their favor, and that we will be able to promise ourselves the greatest advantages from such PatronageReal, and with the very particular attention that they are happy to give to our productions." This method was established before his move to Etruria, in fact Wedgwood began using this technique while in Burslem some years earlier. Royal patronage was a valuable commercial asset for Wedgwood. One of his most prestigious patrons was the Queen of Great Britain. Wedgwood even went so far as to send samples and models for the Queen's approval. The Queen even awarded Wedgwood the title "Her Majesty's Potter", after giving her name and patronage to a line of pottery called Queens Ware. From 1767 onwards the words "Potter to His Majesty" began to appear on the heads of Wedgwood banknotes. Wedgwood even went so far as to rename his London showrooms The Queen's Arms. Realizing that if he could woo and win the patronage of an influential few, he could attract customers from the masses. Wedgwood's formula of "starting with the head first and then proceeding to the lower limbs" was beginning to take shape. After the Queen, his clients included the Princess Dowager, the Duke of York and Albany and the Duke of Clarence. Wedgwood could never have imagined that the taste for his wares would take hold in the way it did. The Russians were enthusiastic about Wedgwood's work but his ambitions did not stop there. Wedgwood began to devise how to capture the attention of Ireland, Germany, Holland and even China. In Russia Catherine the Great was eager to purchase Western products, she considered foreigners superior beings in the arts and sciences. Catherine the Great commissioned Wedgwood to create a Queen's Ware dinner service, which Wedgwood had painted purple and which he himself called the "Russian service". A friend of Thomas Bentley, known as de Shoning, even promoted a business by sending parcels of pottery to German princes. This venture has proven successful with orders arriving in the coming years. German potters eventually copied Wedgwood's work, creating their own version of his wares called The Steingut. Bentley used his charm and tact to establish important contacts in diplomatic circles. Using Wedgwood's strategy of starting at the top of the social pyramid and working his way down, Bentley ensured that through ambassadors, envoys and consuls Wedgwood's articles entered the courts of Poland, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Turkey, Naples and Turin. Wedgwood introduced special lines for each market depending on taste and what was popular in each country. Rococo for France, cheap goods for America and exotic designs for Turkey. Another important feature of Wedgwood's marketing and sales strategy was the rooms managed by Thomas Bentley. In 1771 Wedgwood jokingly asks Bentley "How many lords and dukes visit your rooms, praise your beauties, thin your shelves, and fill your purses." Wedgwood's methods were somewhat unorthodox for the time, yet are considered revolutionary today. In rooms vases were displayed alone or in pairs to provide a sense of rarity, however Wedgwood was also aware that rarity often became stale in London after first viewing and that it was the variety that attracted people's attention. Self-service facilities have been introduced with a focus on display. Wedgwood also urged Bentley to adjust his prices so that they were more attractive to gentlemen. To ensure that Thomas Bentley could supervise the staff of the London factories, Wedgwood found a solution to integrate them. Wedgwood also suggested introducing commission payments at the Newport Street establishment to ensure that sellers.