Buy Now

Prologue: The Secret to Our Success xi

CHAPTER 1 Why “Buy Now”? 1

The Direct Response Solution 4

Carnival Beginnings 6

Why Direct Response? 7

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire 10

CHAPTER 2 The Geeks Inherit the Earth 17

Why Is Direct Response a Great Value? 22

Why Doesn’t Everyone Try Direct Response? 24

What Is a Brand and Why Do I Need One? 27

CHAPTER 3 They Don’t Teach This in College: Rick’s Story 33

The Pitch 36

My Story 37

From Real Estate to Infomercials 38

How to Make a Million 43

CHAPTER 4 Juicing for Dollars 49

The Power of PR 54

Live Seminars 56

CHAPTER 5 Building the Juiceman® Brand 61

Explosive Growth 65

Retail Strategy 66

CHAPTER 6 Expanding the Brand: The Breadman® 71

Validating “the Model” 75

Selling the Business 77

CHAPTER 7 Sonicare®: The $150 Toothbrush 79

Problem/Solution 82

Credibility: The Key to a Successful Infomercial 84

Rolling Out a Campaign 86

CHAPTER 8 The Biggest Knockout in History 91

How a Champion Boxer and a Failed Taco

Maker Created Sizzling Success 93

The Price of Celebrity 102

Grilling Up Some Big Numbers 105

CHAPTER 9 OxiClean®: “Powered by the Air You

Breathe, Activated by the Water You Drink” 107

The Ubiquitous Billy Mays 111

The Rise of OxiClean 117

Unique Packaging Strategy 118

CHAPTER 10 The Customer Is No Dummy 123

Positioning Your Product: The Next Niche 129

Get to Your Unique Selling Proposition 132

CHAPTER 11 Channel Explosion: The Next Paradigm Shift 139

Direct Demographic Media Messaging 143

Messaging versus Demographic 145

What Are You Going to Grow Today? 148

The Intersection of the Internet 149

CHAPTER 12 Free Advertising? 153

Is My Idea Direct-Response Worthy? 156

Why Are the COGs So Important? 159

Long Form or Short Form? That Is the Question 162

CHAPTER 13 Anatomy of an Infomercial 165

Show Styles or Formats 168

Long-Form Elements 171

Show Outline 175

CHAPTER 14 Offer Is King 179

Why Is Everything Priced at $19.95 and $39.95? 183

How Do Long Form and Short Form Work Together? 185

CHAPTER 15 Beyond Television: Integrating Radio, Web

Advertising, and More 189

Online Marketing Is Direct Response 195

The Backend of Direct Response 198

CHAPTER 16 Conclusion 205

Brass Tacks: What Does This Cost? 207

Index 211