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