The Three-Pillar Profit Strategy
During my years as a CEO, I've often explained to my management teams that there are only three ways to grow a business: getting more customers, making them buy more often, and generating more profit from each transaction. That's it. There is no other approach to growing a company. I've even discussed this extensively with Richard Branson, and despite our eager search for alternative methods, we always return to these same three fundamentals.
The food industry has perfected this approach with surgical precision, turning basic nutrition into a profit-driven enterprise that deliberately undermines your metabolic health. We're talking about ten goliaths of the food industry, each wielding advertising and lobbying budgets that dwarf some nations' GDPs.
Customer Acquisition: The Childhood Hook
Food corporations invest billions in marketing campaigns designed to capture customers early and hold them for life. They target children with cartoon mascots, bright packaging, and strategic product placement at eye level in supermarket aisles. These tactics aren't accidental; they're calculated moves to establish brand loyalty before critical thinking develops.
The subliminal messaging extends beyond childhood. Adult-targeted campaigns exploit stress, convenience, and emotional triggers. "Treat yourself" becomes the mantra that transforms momentary pleasure into habitual consumption. By the time you recognise the pattern, your taste preferences have already been programmed.
