The Anatomy of a $20,000,000 Fastlane idea

[MJ DeMarco]

Watch the video:

ABC News

This explains The power of mass marketing ... or, remarketing. Take something old and stale, spin it, and make it new.

4,000,000 SOLD X $19.95

80 MILLION DOLLARS IN SALES

$80,000,000 !!!!

ASSUME A MARGIN OF 25% which I believe to be conservative.

$20,000,000 PROFIT

You laugh at the Snuggie. I laugh. Everyone laughs. But who is really laughing? The guy that took something that already existed, spun it, and remarketed it to the masses.:groove:

 

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[mtnman]

Their landing page is superb.... I checked it a while back. I didn't know they sold that many though.

https://www.getsnuggie.com/flare/next

 

[LAbull]

Not sure about back ordered for months.

I was just at Bed Bath and Beyond and they had an entire aisle dedicated to this and the great German made product aka Shamwow.

Now shamwow has some real "smarketing". I would love to see the numbers that company is doing.

 

[BryanC]

HAHA. This is the best. Good find MJ. haa but you right he sure hit one out of the park.

 

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[snowbank]

took something that already existed, spun it, and remarketed it to the masses.:groove:

This is the first time I've seen this product so unfamiliar with all their marketing/business. In what ways did they market this to get the results they are getting that the other companies with the same product weren't doing?

 

[LAbull]

This is the first time I've seen this product so unfamiliar with all their marketing/business. In what ways did they market this to get the results they are getting that the other companies with the same product weren't doing?

I assume you do not watch much TV.
If you go to the website and watch that video. That is pretty much all they did, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and overover and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. :smxE:

 

[BryanC]

Yep! You are right.

 

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[hatterasguy]

I have never heard of this thing before and it looks dumb. I find it amazing that such a dumb thing can make so much money, I guess the guy who designed it is laughing all the way to the bank...if he protected the idea.

 

[snowbank]

I assume you do not watch much TV.
If you go to the website and watch that video. That is pretty much all they did, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and overover and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. :smxE:

What I mean is why did the other people not put this on tv so much if they were getting a return on their television ad investments. Something must have been different. And from the results it looks like it must have been quite a bit different. Be interested in hearing HOW they made the difference. As well as how they knew where/with who to put this on tv/market this with where the other companies failed(or at least didn't do close to as well.)

 

[snowbank]

if he protected the idea.

Is an idea like that protectable? I don't know if it would be. For example the guys before him didn't/couldn't protect it.

 

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[LAbull]

What I mean is why did the other people not put this on tv so much if they were getting a return on their television ad investments. Something must have been different. And from the results it looks like it must have been quite a bit different. Be interested in hearing HOW they made the difference. As well as how they knew where/with who to put this on tv/market this with where the other companies failed(or at least didn't do close to as well.)

It takes alot of money and the company behind Snuggie knows what they are doing. They have done many this times before.

All the successful AS SEEN ON TV products have a very similar format.
Annoying/Catchy Name or Slogan repeated over and over and over (you get the idea )
Money behind the product to play that 30 second to 5 minute to 30 minute infomercial multiple times on multiple channels.

-Shamwow
-Magic Jack
-President Obama Plates and other crap

If you ever watch TV you will recognize most of these products:
www.asseenontv.com

Joe Francis nailed it doing the same thing but added SEX to the equation and getting stuck in a contract to purchase that's damn near impossible to get out of.

It's all the same.

Hence why I'm working on my Muscle Toned/Erection/Energy/I'm so Popular Pill.
Advertise this over and over on MTV late at night and everyone between LA and NY will buy it up as long as you throw in a free night light.

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

It's really cool for me to look at informercials. I used to just HATE them. But then I started ordering some stuff off of them here and there. Products I would actually like (and do like!). And if I want to sell my products through informercials one day it's cool to see the framework of such a thing!

 

[TOLDUSO]

I still think the idea was technically stolen, just better marketed. I saw the "Slanket" for sell years ago. Anyone remember?

 

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[klh6686]

I've seen those commercials enough to be annnoyed by them now, however I just picture everyone in wizard hats w/ little wizard wands and I get a laugh everytime =p.

 

[CMCarlin]

"Is it a space suit?" LOL

Sometimes it's the really simple ideas, marketed very well, that make the most money. Look at the slinky.

Hence why I'm working on my Muscle Toned/Erection/Energy/I'm so Popular Pill.
Advertise this over and over on MTV late at night and everyone between LA and NY will buy it up as long as you throw in a free night light.

I know of an inbound call center that can help sell that for you! This one is already familiar with that type of product and I myself close on similar products anywhere from 40% to 50% (which is considered 'perfect' for soft offer ads). This place has a solid training program.

 

[imoutthere]

the upsells on these products are ridiculous also. I bought the pedegg online for my wife and before i could even go to the shopping cart to check out. I was upsold atleast 6 times.

There funnel system through the website is incredible. As soon an you buy one, they offer you a second or third, they offer you the new platinum edition, then some new lotions, then some replacement parts, then a full kit, etc. So before if you even know if the product works, they are prompting you to buy even more of there products accessories.

Now that i think about it, they dont have a follow up email campaign. I was pretty surprised that i havent had a single email from them since going through their sales pages. But, they must have known that it will be easier to sell the accessories upfront, then through the backend funnel system. Guess they were right.

This is Great marketing campaign. I wonder what their upsells are?

 

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[BryanC]

This thing still amazes me. Ha!

 

[hatterasguy]

Is an idea like that protectable? I don't know if it would be. For example the guys before him didn't/couldn't protect it.

Well whoever designed it probably could have gotten a patent on it. If not it just turns into another Swifer story with a big well funded company taking it and crushing the upstart.

If he has no protection of the idea than he must be very good at marketing and low cost production to stay in the game. Still its probably not a long term thing, eventualy the profit is going to be gone.

 

[tbsells]

The commercial was brillant, it had my wife and daughters saying "I want one" every time it ran. I thought it was a joke, but it did appeal to the females. Who's laughing now?

 

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[LightHouse]

we all know its not the idea its the execution. Case in point! Same with slap chop

I dont think these ever went over though, Coleman Fish Pen from Telebrands Corp. Official Page

Anyway, you can see instances of web 2.0 marketing. facebook page youtube videos fan clubs, user submitted photos. Folks if you are in the product business, study how telebrands does it. Even if they didnt do the tv portion they still have the web front on point. Forget protecting the idea, who has time to litigate copycats when they are out selling the one time buyers. this is a $20 product, get it out, get the buzz and sell some product.

even the little things in the infomercial interest me. Did you see whe she turned up the thermostat? Red arrow going up which means warm, green money going up folowing it. subliminal messege. she turns the dial and heat costs a lot of money, so buy a SNUGGIEEE, haha.

 

[callmelucid]

i wouldnt buy it. its not made by germans

 

[michael]

Brilliant idea, I think it takes as much creativity to rework a poncho into Americas must have accessory as it does to come up with a new an innovative idea, otherwise every 2nd man would be on tv with his own infomercial but the moral is still the same, you don't have to have a brilliant new earth shattering idea to make big money, you can put an new spin and an old boring product and succeed.



On a side note that $20'000'000 must be pocket change for Vince these days

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

My point in posting this story is about 2 things:

1) Innovation

- Take something that exists (duh, a blanket for god's sake) and spin it.

and

2) Marketing

- The right marketing message delivered to the right audience makes a world of a difference. This "innovation" was already done -- somebody marketed it better. This is what Peter (Peter2) did before he sold his company.

 

[PC60756]

My dad busts out into laughter everytime they show the Snuggie family at the baseball game!

 

[MJ DeMarco]

OK, now we've found 4 people gullible enough to own a Snuggie .... lets find the other 3,999,996 !

 

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[BeingChewsie]

Did you see the new one? The "Snuglette" for kids...They are hugely popular out here, my kids school had a fundraiser and was having them embroidered with the school logo! The next thing will be ones more suited to the beach/swimming/lakes/boating etc for the summer, if not this summer then next summer. Someone will make another $20,000,000.

 

[JayKim]

That part with Jay Leno saying "just put your robe on backwards thats all it is" had me rolling loool.

 

[Alan at SE]

where can i find out information about how much it costs to run an infomercial roughly?

 

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[maximus20895]

Telebrands would know. They are the guys who run the " As Seen On Tv" products.

 

[WildFlower]

There are a lot of scam infomercial companies.. do your due diligence.. read the contract. Make sure it has an ending date on it.. not open ended etc.

Legit companies go through 10s of 1,000s of products to find only 1-2 a month to move forward on.