Wowza-the man on the moon.
 

Had a brainstorming session with a couple of people from the new North Canton Marketing Group regarding possible products to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of landing on the moon.

It is 3 years away.

How many projects do you have with a three year out deadline? Anyhow,
want to share some interesting conversations I've had the last few days.

Last Thursday morning I posted the following at Colin Theriot's Facebook Page, Cult of Copy Job Board:

****************************
NEW Remote Direct Marketing start-up company in N. Canton, OH is seeking copywriters and writers on the following products and services:
Numismatics or ephemera
Specialty products for home care (like air purifiers)
Specialty products for Seniors (like large print phones)
Work from home business opportunities
Also, newsletter writers for above. Company launches this holiday season, Thanksgiving 2016, and is seeking good direct mail writers. Experience considered, however, not necessary.
All work on contract, unless willing to move to Akron-Canton area.
Contact me if interested, for further details. Prefer email but PM ok too. email me, Gordon Jay Alexander [email protected] and put ncanton in the subject header.
NEW startup by EXPERIENCED marketers who have fled local companies for various personal reasons. This group brings many years of experience and success to the table. Get in on ground floor. Thanks,
Gordon Jay Alexander
*******************************


And I've been on the phone ever since, talked to 15 people SO FAR, with more to converse with this coming week. Like all forums, facebook pages and bulletin boards, there are more lurkers than posters/participants.

The youngest was an 18 year old college student with a few months of copywriting study under his belt. The oldest a 60+ guy with years of copy experience under his belt.

3 women.
2 of the 15 with knowledge (superficial) of the Billion Dollar Commemorative/Collectible markets. 10 did not know either the Franklin Mint or the Bradford Exchange.

One had product development experience.

OK, here's one fact...the Billion dollar collectible, evergreen, Parade of Life market has more opportunity for a new copywriter than almost any other market, yet none of these young copy writers know anything about it.
Too bad for them.

Good for those I'm working with.

The 50th anniversary of the sinking of the TITANIC launched a 5 year goldmine for Suarez Corporation Industries, they even had a 1 and 1/2 man dept. (Special Projects-and I was the 1/2, working with the guy a few hours a week) which generated millions of dollars for SCI.

The death of Pope John Paul yielded several more millions of dollars.

THAT is the extremely LUCRATIVE, albeit apparently "secret", Commemorative market.

Coins, medallions and all things paper, metal and plaque like. Again, a Billion dollar a year market.

So what did I learn from all these conversations?

So far, few of the people I spoke with are prepared to go the distance on a long term project, and most were of a feast/famine type career.

The purveyors of Copywriting as a Biz-Op (An easy sit at the beach and use your laptop to make your ez 6 figure a year income because THEY {CLIENTS} WILL beat a path to your door, or beach mat)...

...have a done a great job selling the dream. And if one fails, of course, it is there own damn fault (but then, isn't all failure?).

Very few people understand Product Development from concept to market, and what is so great about collectibles, is...
You can create and sell almost anything...
IF you identify the market first. And then get in step with it and let them run you over on the track the train is going down.

Do you think there will be ANY commemorative things sold in the summer of 2019? As regards the Lunar Landing? And the great thing, you don't have to be a major player, just execute an idea and get your

Prospect
Product
Promotion

Get those ducks in a row and have fun shooting the ducks in a barrel with your water pistols.

More on this later.

Gordon Jay Alexander

Thanks for shining a spotlight on these opportunities...
 

Hi Gordon,

Thanks for sharing this post!

It shows that there are so many opportunities out there... many which fly right under our noses...

Many people spend money on collectibles. It makes them happy...

I think it'd be a great market to be in!

How many upcoming "events" are there which are great opportunities for new products, or even new promotions for old products or services...

Best wishes, :)

Dien

Here is an insider secret...
 

Most of the Playas in this field...

Franklin Mint, Bradford Exchange, Danbury, World Reserve, US Commemorative, etc., etc.

Step over nickles and dimes to get to the dollars.

They have overhead, expenses, vaults, staff, employees, yada, yada, yada.

They have huge budgets, expenses, costs, blah, blah and more BLAH.

Which leaves a gap, a little one man band can pick up the nickles and dimes all day long with not much effort.

TODAY...ebay SOLD listings show PRINCE items flying off the shelf.

Even ebay, has set up a special TRIBUTE TO PRINCE page.

But deaths aside, if you know an event is coming, especially a milestone, like the 20th anniversary of something...which was popular and can bring a bit of nostalgia to a group...

it costs next to nothing to come up with a commemorative, and have it ready...and with today's "made on demand" technology, a plate, coin, medallion, plaque, poster, key chain, hat, T-shirt...

can be made as demand comes in...

A niche probably too small for the Playas, which need time, a one man band can strike up the profits at will.

Hidden and secret market? NO, 10 mins on eBay and a half hour spent at the "Playas" sites...shows how big the market is.

It requires imagination and marketing expertise.

Gordon Jay Alexander

Maybe here's another way, with "cutting edge" technology...
 

Thanks Gordon,

This is really "golden" information...!

It also occurred to me... This could be an area where you could commercially use 3D printing!

Design a commemorative figurine, or something like that... And have it 3D printed!

You've got the wheels turning... :)

Best wishes,

Dien