Opinion
Famously wrong predictions
One of the things we do at Zenith International is forecasts. We’ve been right about many things, from healthy convenience to bottled water, yet we were most wrong about ‘alcopops’.
Fortunately, we haven’t been in the same league of denial as this selection from the latest issue of Director magazine:
Telephones – “An amazing invention, but who would want to use one?” US President Rutherford Hayes, 1876.
Electric lighting – “Good enough for our transatlantic friends … but unworthy of practical or scientific men.” British Parliamentary committee, 1878.
Radio – “People who must now subdue themselves to ‘listening in’ will soon find a better pastime for their leisure.” HG Wells, 1928.
Computers – “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.” DEC president Ken Olson, 1977.
For more, go to the Director website.
Source: BevBlog
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Richard Hall is chairman of Zenith International.
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Your comments (1)
GeoffPlatt said on 19 Jan, 2010:
Back in the 1980s, when I first started writing about dairy, I went to an IFE (International Food Exhibition) when they used to be held at Earl’s Court in London. One of the stands was a Japanese company trying to gain a foothold in the UK. They were offering a fermented drink containing ‘friendly’ bacteria, in packs of seven little bottles for a one-week supply. A top executive from one of the UK’s leading dairy companies visited the stand. I asked him what he thought. “It will never catch on,” he proclaimed. He was happy for me to write down his quote. The rest, as they say, is history and Yakult never looked back! – Geoff Platt – editor, Dairy Innovation
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