The Big Idea, Part 1

How do you find a BIG IDEA for a direct marketing promotion?

Choose wisely, and you can hit a home run...mail millions of direct mail pieces year after year (or be hugely successful online)...generate millions of dollars in sales for your client...and be rewarded handsomely.

Choose unwisely, and the promo may fall flat on its face, no matter if the rest of the copy is strong.

A BIG IDEA is literally worth a million dollars--or more!

Here's one example of how I discovered a BIG IDEA that translated into a BIG WINNER!

In searching for a BIG IDEA for a launch promotion I wrote for Joint Advantage, a natural pain relieving supplement, I discovered something very interesting in the research I did. I found out that while glucosamine and condroitin were two of the most popular natural breakthroughs for pain relief and joint comfort, new research showed they were hard to absorb and failed for as many as half the people who tried them. So many people were taking these best-selling nutrients and not getting the relief they wanted or needed.

What made Joint Advantage unique was its ingerdients: rare, little known Australian herbs used for centuries by native Aborigines. The discovery of these herbs was something very exciting because the man who found them, Dr. David Williams, had seen them work even when other natural solutions failed. So Joint Advantage was something new, something beyond the ordinary solutions.

Here's the cover copy I wrote:

People want the next big thing, they want something superior that's beyond and better than what's been available. In this case, prospects wanted and needed more pain relief. And the message spoke loudly and clearly to them.

This promotion went on to mail successfully for nearly five years, making it one of the all-time most mailed pieces in the nutritional marketplace.