Lemon-aid

Forget breakthrough channels, next gen tech and clever marketing, getting a new product accepted and adopted by target audiences depends on basic principles as old as time. Everett Rogers’ theories on the Diffusion of Innovation, authored in 1962, remain relevant and reproduceable today, whatever the product or setting. Examples even date back to the 17th century, when global exploration, trade and warfare were dominated by life (and death) on the ocean waves...

Between 1492 and the mid-19th century, more than two million sailors died from scurvy. The disease accounted for more deaths at sea than storms, combat and all other diseases combined – with governments and shipowners assuming a 50% death rate on any major voyage. The problem was rife in the British Navy, where controlling scurvy was a high priority. The Navy’s approach over time highlights the challenges of getting beneficial innovation adopted quickly, even when there’s clear evidence of its advantages.

In 1601, English Captain James Lancaster commanded a fleet of four ships on a voyage to the East Indies. During the voyage, he conducted an experiment to test the effectiveness of lemon juice in preventing scurvy. Every morning, he gave three teaspoons of juice to all the sailors on one of his ships, while the untreated crew on his other three vessels served as a control group. The sailors that took lemon juice stayed healthy. However, by the journey’s midpoint, 110 out of 278 sailors on the other three ships died of scurvy.

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“Everett Rogers’ theories on the Diffusion of Innovation, authored in 1962, remain relevant and reproduceable today, whatever the product or setting.”

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Despite the findings, the Navy didn’t rush to adopt citrus juice for scurvy prevention. In fact, it was almost 150 years before the impact of citrus fruits on scurvy was explored further! In 1747, British Navy physician, Dr. James Lind, conducted what’s sometimes called the ‘first clinical trial in history’. Lind gave scurvy patients on HMS Salisbury either a daily dose of oranges and lemons, or one of five alternative treatments such as vinegar, seawater and cider. The patients given citrus fruits were cured within days.

Even with this evidence, it was still another 48 years before the British Navy universally adopted citrus juice as a treatment for scurvy, effectively eradicating the disease from its ships. 70 years later, in 1865, the British Board of Trade followed suit, extending the policy to the merchant marine (and wiping out scurvy in the process).

So why did it take so long to adopt lifesaving innovation that was proven in 1601? Several factors apply. Competing remedies for scurvy prevention all had their advocates but reports from other voyages – like Captain Cook’s expeditions to the Pacific – didn’t support citrus as a cure. Additionally, Dr. Lind’s relatively low profile in naval medicine meant his findings received little attention. Clearly, the importance of ‘influencers’ in the uptake of innovation was as big in the 1700s as it is today.

This historical example illustrates that the adoption of innovation depends on more than just communicating demonstrable benefits. Competition, and the influence of prominent figures in the field, are important factors.