A Stress Erasing Marketing Lesson

On the all night flight back from Maui -- when I couldn't sleep because I was so depressed to leave that heavenly island -- I used my time to read several books and several magazines.

In the recent issue of Fortune magazine (the September 18th one with Bill Clinton on the cover), there is an ad for a new product I found fascinating.

I'm a gadget guy and a lover of anything to do with health and healing. So you shouldn't be too surprised that I got excited about a little gadget advertised in the magazine called a Stresseraser.

While I found the picture of the gadget to be curious, I wasn't persuaded by the copy. It sounded like the copywriter was inventing a solution in order to get me to buy the product. It simply wasn't convincing.

I wanted to buy the Stresseraser device. But talk about "ergotropic tuning" was making alarms go off in my head. I simply couldn't believe them. There wasn't enough evidence to persuade me to buy now.

The one redeeming fact on the Fortune ad was the fact that Good Morning America featured the gadget. But even then, I didn't know if the TV show liked the gadget or not. All the ad said was that Good Morning America featured it.

But that sole fact made me curious enough to go online, once I got home, and check out the product.

The site is quick, brief, and to the point. I liked what I saw -- though I still didn't swallow the argument about ergotropic tuning -- and I placed my order.

And that's when I found out the product is back ordered until October 15.

My stress level immediately went up.

I wanted the Stresseraser right now.

After all, I just got off a long flight and was facing two weeks of piled up work and numerous things to do at home. I needed the Stresseraser.

Alas. I'll have to wait.

But then I received a catalog in the mail from Sounds True. And there it was, featured on the back page as well as inside the catalog: the Stresseraser.

And it's ready for shipping right now.

In fact, the Sounds True online review for the Stresseraser is far better than the Fortune magazine ad. See it at http://soundstruestore.stores.yahoo.net/os01096d-review.html

Finally, here are a few take away lessons:

1. Your audience is skeptical. Give them the facts. All of them.

2. Your audience is still skeptical, even after all the facts. So give them endorsements. The more, the better. The more respected, the better.

3. Your audience is impatient. Have your product ready for shipping today. Now. Instantly.

I'm going to go practice deep, s-l-o-w breathing now.

Oh, yea. And I still have to unpack.

Ao Akua,

Joe
www.mrfire.com

PS - I haven't received the Stresseraser yet, so can't comment on it. I have high hopes for it, though. After all, who doesn't want to erase stress?