Amazon – what a surprise! – teach the online discount firms a lesson
After savaging the demented copy Groupon and Living Social run the least I can do is show you how discounting does work.
You can see the full example at http://local.amazon.co.uk/Central-London/B009ETLCW8
However the relevant bits to learn from are the copy and the product – a language course sold in parts.
That is exactly the same principle as the book club, which dates back to 1930.
It is what we call a continuity deal; one of the countless proofs that nothing is really new in marketing. You see it in Wine Clubs every day
The heading has one important trick to remember. It reads:
Two Language Learning MP3 Downloads
Earworms MBT (Musical Brain Trainer)
So you are not buying a course. You are buying something that does the work for you. It trains your brain.
The most priceless thing, though, is “Musical Brain Trainer”. What the hell is that? You have to find out.
The copy reads:
Whether you’re a lover of languages or need to pick one up for work, grab today’s offer from Earworms MBT. This state-of-the-art language acquisition program has ushered in a new era in language learning. If you’ve ever had a song stuck in your head, you’ve experienced the theory that Earworms MBT has applied in order to make memorising new languages effortless and enjoyable
£9 (regular price £18) for 2 MP3 downloads of volume one language courses
Compatible with all MP3 players and most smartphones
Lessons available in 15 languages, including Arabic, French, German and Russian
Master key words and phrases on the go — at any hour of the day
Phrase-book included (in PDF format)
No flowery drivel of the kind Living Social or Groupon run. Just competent selling copy which draws a very convincing analogy with the way we remember tunes.
It is not great copy: too many cliches like “state-of-the-art” and “ushered in a new era”. But at least it does the job right.
Just as important, as I said, is that this is not just a one-off product. It is a continuity deal. The way to sell a continuity deal is to offer the first parts free or very cheap and so lure people in.
Again, nothing new. Let people try. It is the best way to sell. I do the same myself. The internet crooks do it brilliantly with their free seminars. It goes back over a century – I often show an ad by Claude Hopkins that used a free offer to launch Pepsodent toothpaste.
If you want to run better copy yourself, one half of the day at Southwark Cathedral featuring Howie Jacobson and me is about nothing else. The other half tells you how to make your copy work better online through AdWords.
If that day is not worth ten times what you pay, I’ll give you your money back.
