Here’s something you didn’t know.

We all know Captain Crunch, the breakfast cereal that many of us (at least most of us Americans) grew up on. We all know Captain Crunch himself, because likely you grew up watching his commercials as a kid and seeing his big face on cereal boxes in the supermarket for years and years.

Here’s the crazy thing. The name and character of Captain Crunch was created before there was ever a cereal. He was created by Jay Ward, the same guy who created Rocky and Bullwinkle. Quaker Oats developed the character, branding, and entire marketing plan before they even determined the flavor of the cereal.

They planned the marketing first, the actual product second.

Did it work?

Well, you tell me. Do you know who Captain Crunch is? Captain Crunch cereal has been wildly profitable for Quaker Oats and has been selling consistently for almost 50 years. It’s been so popular it’s had 20 different variants over the years.

The popularity of Captain Crunch the character has not waned at all. Last year Quaker Oats got boatloads of free publicity because the US Navy “investigated” Captain Crunch for impersonating a naval officer. The guy even has his own Twitter account.

You think that the thing you sell is more important than the marketing of that thing. Wrong. I’ve seen many businesses that sold a quality product or service fail because they didn’t market enough. (And so have you.) I’ve also seen many businesses that sold crappy products or services succeed because they marketed well and often. (And so have you.)

That’s how important marketing is.