Don’t rub Bobby’s nose. You might have heard it’s good luck. It is in fact an urban myth.
But it’s an urban myth with a marketing lesson.
The story of Greyfriars Bobby has enchanted me since I was a child. It’s all about the devotion and loyalty of a little Skye Terrier to his beloved master, John Gray, back in the late 1800s.
I often wander up to Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh where both John Gray (known as Auld Jock) and Bobby are buried. It’s such a lovely story I always end up with a tear in my eye.
In this episode of RogVLOG we’ll go to Greyfriars Kirkyard and I’ll tell you Bobby’s story.
We’ll also have a look at the wonderful statue of Bobby that sits outside. You’ll notice his nose is bright gold whilst the rest of the statue is black.
This is because people believe it’s good luck to rub Bobby’s nose.
Reality quite a recent urban myth started around 2009 or 2010. If you look for photos of Bobby’s statue from before then you’ll see his nose is black.
The whole good luck thing was started by a travel company to get people to visit Edinburgh. And it’s now part of Edinburgh’s urban legends. I guess people will always rub Bobby’s nose now.
As a marketing guy and keynote speaker I love stories and telling stories. But the way the myth of rubbing Bobby’s nose has grown up in just ten years is a great example of word of mouth marketing. The travel company started the story and now everyone thinks it’s true.
I hope you enjoy the video and will find Greyfriars Bobby’s story as enchanting as I do.
Now it’s your turn:
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