The Miracle of the Moose

Debbie Gaydos is the owner of Shopaholic Home Décor and Gifts, a small gift shop in Enterprise, Alabama. For the past six years she has featured stuffed moose during the Christmas season. Debbie believes that every product should have a story, and her customers agreed. Customers want a story. The moose have resonated with her customers. The first year she ordered 50 moose and, in the last year of this case study, had ordered 950. Mrs. Gaydos made the moose real by developing stories around the moose from the time the product arrived and got an in-briefing from the elder moose (the tallest moose) until the time they are sold. Then the customer takes over and further develops each moose’s personality by naming the moose, sharing photographs, and sharing comments about their moose. This case study looks at year seven. The phenomenon of the moose had continued to grow. This case study examines how the moose became such a popular item. It presents Debbie Gaydos’s use of anthropomorphism, priming, and cue to build sales. It also looks to the future. What untapped marketing methods remain untapped that could extend the popularity of the moose? But at what point does the moose market max out? What will happen once the moose begin to decline in popularity? Chair: Jeff Mankin, [email protected] Discussant: Karen Popovich, [email protected] Discussant: Richard Peters, [email protected] Scribe: Casandra Stroy, [email protected]