Gordon, it could very well be neither...

> Marketing 101 goes: Niche, Target, Hungry
> Customers, Proven Buyers, High Passion
> Index, Recency/Frequency/Quantity, Segment,
> Demographics, Disposable Income.

> In a single word: PEOPLE.

> Find the right people FIRST.

> NEW Marketing Paradigm as presented by Roy
> Williams (The Wizard of Ads) and others
> (perhaps even me)...says:

> WORDS.

> Join the debate, if there is one, which do
> you find most important to your successful
> efforts.

> Finding the RIGHT people? (And how do you do
> that?)

> OR

> SAYING the right words to the people who
> find you? (And what might they be?)

> The 101 premise says that you must first
> find people who WANT what you have and you
> simply present a compelling and well
> structured offer that they can't resist.

> NEW premise says it is what you SAY to the
> people in front of you.

> I'm going to expand these
> "theories" and present some
> startling information at the July 5th
> bash...if you attend, plan on being
> surprised.

> But what do YOU think is more important, if
> either, or do you think there is something
> else?

> People?
> Words?
> Other?

> Gordon Alexander

Before I get into that though, I think the ‘Roy Williams’ view was/is the same view shared by Ted Nicholas.

If you read or listen or watch any of Ted’s stuff he was/is a big proponent of ‘Word’ power. And while he didn’t proclaim words being more important than the target audience to the extent Roy Williams does, it’s clear he pushes the concept that words are most important.

Now for a different opinion.

Joe Sugarman rates one thing higher than either words or the target audience. Personally I think Joe has something here…it may not apply to all markets and all conditions but quite truthfully I think the top rung on the ladder (words, audience, or what Joe Sugarman believes) can change depending upon the variables.

Anyhow, here’s Joe’s spin on the topic:

“Having the ability to create a great mail order ad is only a small part of the entire process of creating a marketing success. First you need something to sell.

This chapter is devoted to the selection process—namely, how to select the perfect product that will harmonize with your customers and cause them to reach into their pockets an exchange their hard-earned money for your product or service. The closeness of this harmony dictates your success. For if you can appeal to a large market with a product that relates to that market and if you can write great copy, your chances of success are greatly enhanced.

Reaching a state of harmony in marketing a product involves forces over which you have little control. It is truly the wild card in the game of marketing. Having a product resonate with your customer represents a point in time and space where a variety of forces coincide, transcending your ability to control them. You can have the worst copy and miserable presentation, but if the product you have chosen is the right product at the right time with the right price and in the right medium, your chances of success are extremely good. Great copy and the perfect concept—both will tremendously enhance your success. But in reality, after years of selecting products and then testing to determine their success, I have learned that I can never predict where in the time and space continuum a product lies.”

It is certainly tough to argue with Joe Sugarman, given his track record. Is he right in all cases probably not? But I can tell you I pay much more attention to the product I’m marketing than ever before. I can say this same thing applies at retail, maybe even more so than ‘words’ or ‘the target audience’. I’ve worked with many clients that have opened up retail businesses that took off like rockets just because of having the right product at the right price. And most of these people lack the marketing expertise to understand even basic copywriting principles nor did they have any idea if the right demographic was in their trading area which would ensure success.

And another view from Gary Halbert, which seems to support the Sugarman view more so than the other two. Gary writes:

“How interested are you in knitting? Aha! Just as I thought. You’re not much attracted to knitting at all are you? So, what if I wrote a brilliant full-page ad about the hottest knitting machine ever manufactured? Would you read the ad and purchase the machine?

I think not.

Now let’s say you’ve been married for about a year and your wife is nine months pregnant. Your mother has volunteered to take your wife to the hospital if she goes into labor while you’re not home. You’ve given your mother a cell phone and you wear a beeper around the clock. The simple plan is for your mom to use the cell phone and page you the moment labor begins. You go about your work day knowing everything has been set into place.

One day you’re in an important business meeting. Unbeknownst to you, your wife has gone into labor. Your mother is desperately trying to use her cell phone and page you….but…the god of cell phones and beepers (being the fickle prick he is) won’t let your mother’s call get through to your beeper. To make matters worse, she can't even find a coin pay phone anywhere in the hospital. In the meantime, your wife has had triplets.

The god of cell phones and beepers does let your mother use the cell phone to get through to me (your close friend) and she tells me about the births. Naturally, I burst into your meeting room and tell you the news, “Buckwheat, your wife just had triplets!” or I might say, “Hey, I just got a call from your mother and she says your wife has given birth to three girls!” Or I could say, “Look you guys, I’m sorry to interrupt your meeting but…I just got a call from Buckwheat’s mother and his wife has just delivered triplets!”

Is there any way in the world I could use words to tell you your wife has just given birth to three babies…That would not be captivating to you?

Here’s the point: It’s not how you say it…it’s what you say!”

For someone as gifted as a copywriter as Gary Halbert to not push ‘copywriting’ as the prime mover of marketing, that quite frankly gets my attention!

Take care,

Mike Winicki