Houdini Unlocked: The Master Magician as Marketing King

Houdini was quick to grasp the concept of ‘entertainer as brand’, where fame was an aim in itself.When others stole his act, he published a book of his ‘handcuff secrets’ and quickly moved on to more extravagant escapes.He arranged many escapes with local merchants in the towns he visited on tour, in early mass tie-in marketing, and set up challenges with newspapers.He created his own magazine; became the president of Martinka & Co., America’s oldest magic tricks company; served nine successive terms as president of the Society of American Magicians; created his own unique escapes including the Chinese Water Torture and the Milk Can Escape; launched his own film career; and even became the first man to fly in an airplane in Australia.His debunking of fraudulent spiritualists gave him yet another outlet to promote his own fame while pursuing a righteous crusade.Houdini pioneered almost every marketing concept of the 20th century, but didn’t live beyond its first quarter, dying on 31 Oct