By 1970 she was ready for a new one and leased an additional car for each of her top five earners. Thus the pink car sales incentive began.
By James Barrie M ary Kay Ash is one of the most successful female entrepreneurs of all time. Her cosmetics empire, started in Texas, has grown globally to become the sixth largest direct sales company in the world with annual sales of close to three billion dollars. Kay, who passed away in 2001, was replaced at the helm of the global giant in 1996 by her son Richard Rogers. Before doing so, she left her mark on the world in many ways including the marketing genius of furnishing her top per- formers with pink Cadillacs for their efforts. Elvis Presley drove one. Bruce Springsteen sang about them. However, it was Mary Kay that made pink Cadillacs iconic. What is not as well known is that they were almost Lincolns. In 1967 Kay had four years of success corpo- rate to celebrate. Her husband Mel and her decided she should mark the milestone with a new car that suited the image of her business. Kay went to the local Lincoln dealership in Dallas. After much thought, Kay decided she wanted her car to be a powdery pink color. The salesman that approached Kay and made a huge mistake, for himself and for the Lincoln brand that historic day, as he suggested Kay should go home and get her husband and when he came back they could get her into the Lincoln she wanted. Kay recalls that she did not even have time to open her compact and let the man see the color she wanted the car painted, before she was more or less dismissed out of the showroom. That story has become a legendary tale within the organization told numerous times through- out the decades. Kay took the high road and dropped the Lincoln brand from the account over the years. She knew it was an irrelevant detail. It was not the first time Kay faced sexist roadblocks in her life. She started her legendary journey to the top of the cosmet- ics world by leaving an employer of 25 years because a lessor qualified male candidate she trained was promoted instead of her. Kay left the Lincoln salesman and made her way to a Cadillac dealership. The experience was much different. She chose a 1968 Sedan de Villes painted Mountain Laurel pink which was a GM color brought out of retirement just for her. Her sales directors liked the idea so much they
bought matching rides. By 1970 she was ready for a new one and leased an additional car for each of her top five earners. Thus the pink car sales incentive began. At last count over one hundred thousand cars have been produced for Mary Kay. The units are leased for 2 years. Today’s drivers have a choice of a CTS or top choice SRX. The company still rewards associates with lower sales with cars. There are BMWs and Chevrolets up for grabs but they are not pink. For a brief period of time the Ford Mustang was a part of the program. Cadillac has not mirrored the success of Mary Kay globally and thus different cars are awarded in other sales markets. In Europe and China the prize is a Mercedes-Benz. In Aus- tralia associates get an Opel convertible. In Russia May Kay leases Ford Mondeos and Brazilians receive a Honda Civic. Each one is unquestionably still pink. Over time many ask if the Lincoln story is a myth or some sort of motivational sales mantra. The tale is repeated continuously within the organization and given the sexism that was rampant in the sixties, along with Kay’s own personal experience; it serves as a valuable reminder. Associates are taught that good customer service has the power to change the course of history. As far as the Elvis Presley or Bruce Springsteen connec- tion, there is none, well not to Mary Kay, but definitely to a Pink Cadillac. In early 1955, Elvis bought his first Cadillac, a 1954 Fleet- wood Series 60, which was the color pink. “Baby, Let’s Play House” was The King’s first recorded song to appear on a national chart and in the song Elvis made mention of a Pink Cadillac. Bruce Springsteen released the song, Pink Cadillac, as a “B” side track (a necessity in the days of 45s) to Dancing in the Dark and ironically it received a large amount of airplay prompting it to be played at his live performances. The lyrics used car travel as a representation of romantic activity. In what some say was a sexist move, Springsteen blocked Bette Medler from releasing a version in 1983. In a move that would inspire Kay herself, Natalie Cole suc- ceeded in releasing the song in 1988 and her success with the song eclipsed all previous versions including Springsteen’s.
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JULY 2016 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS
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