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Old May 21, 2020, 10:34 AM
GordonJ's Avatar
GordonJ GordonJ is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
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Default A personal view of today's Direct Response copy writing, and all that jazz...

My head was being turned away from Direct Response well over a decade ago, before I had intensive sessions with Harvey Brody. After those sessions, my head was totally spun around like Linda Blair in THE EXORCIST.

See, I was raised on Direct Response, one of my first jobs was for a local direct response company, learning about lists and seeds, and advertising.

But Harvey helped show me things, which I knew, but totally ignored or didn't give much attention to, about D E M A N D.

There has been a steady demand for his ZOOM SPOUT oilers for over 60 years. A DEMAND for his pistol grips for decades now.

Oil is a consumable. Another thing which I did not pay attention to. Many years I spent writing, selling and promoting products which needed to be sold.

It was a good, a high paying JOB, to be able to SELL things by remote means.

As I was trying and SELLING products which needed to be sold...there they were, products and services which didn't need any real selling. There was some BRANDING involved, but even then, low end coffee seller CHASE AND SANBORN have been on the shelves for over 140 years. When was the last time you were sold a can of coffee?

Was there a guy in the isle pitching Dunkin Donuts or Folger's? Did you read a bullet point of benefits one had over the other? If you are a coffee drinker, you probably routinely buy the same brand, in the same place and have for years, right?

OR do you try a different can every month? My point...is there are categories of products which don't need to be sold. They get BOUGHT.

They are used. People buy more. TIDE vs CHEER. Any real difference? Maybe you think so, or is your Amway SA8 the better choice?? Whichever soap you use, you buy the same brand over and over and over.

So the real selling takes place in branding before you ever head to the store.

Well, I call myself a marketer. Because I sell products. And most of what I have sold online since 1986 have needed sold, they have a direct response promotion written for them, full of persuasion, influence and DR copy writing technique.

Well, I could have been selling, or offering a BRAND, or a consumable all this time, with repeat buyers built in.

And that BRAND didn't need to be real product, take Charles Shulz and his BRAND, PEANUTS. The brand that is still giving income to the owners of the Brand, 20 years after his death. Last year it was a reported 38 million dollars.

Oil, coffee, cartoons. None of which were sold to us, we choose them.

Today, I might grab a Little Debbie snack cake from the shelf when I buy a cup of coffee. Never had anyone try to sell me on Little Debster.

I see copywriting has become a Biz-Op, and like so many biz ops of the past they create commodities, a large group of people who never make it, struggle constantly, go through feast or famine phases all under the guise of freedom (freelancers) and control.

If there is just ONE person reading this, young enough with a tank full of time (God permitting and creek don't rise) then for goodness sake, don't get stuck in the muck buying into dreams being sold to you by those trained and skilled in the art of getting you to part with your money for their benefit.

Consider looking at a future which doesn't need your products to be sold, but consider a future of having your stuff being in DEMAND.

I tell you truthfully, it is the path less taken and it makes all the difference.

GordonJ

Last edited by GordonJ : May 21, 2020 at 10:49 AM.
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