The Big Idea Part 3

If you've read my first two posts on The Big Idea, then you'd know that a Big Idea can come from identifying The Next Big Thing and from gleaning a great idea from Testimonials.

But it can also come by focusing in on something Controversial. Writing about something Controverial can 1) get the reader's attention and 2) be great lead-in to a product.

For example, over the years I've written a number of successful promotions for a remarkable health product from Japan called Sun Chlorella. Derived from a water-based plant, chlorella is may well be nature's most powerful detoxifier, energizer and immune booster--and tens of thousands of customers and numbers clinical studies and medical test prove its benefits.

When I was asked to create a new promotion for Sun Chlorella, I needed a Big Idea that would be fresh, exciting and effective--I knew it would be mailed to many people who've seen the other promotions I created.

This one had to stand out.

The Big Idea came from an interview I did with one of the doctors who recommend Sun Chlorella, Dr. David Nelson.

As I was talking to him, he said something that jumped out at me. It was something like this: "I've been practicing nutritional medicine for over 20 years, and I thought I could get all the extra nutrients I needed from vitamins and supplements. But was I ever wrong!"

Then, Dr. Nelson went on to tell me how there was a whole new world of nutrients to be found in whole foods--and chlolrella was one of the most exciting whole food breakthroughs he discovered. He took Sun Chlorella himself and recommended it to his patients--and the results have been amazing.

From this interview, I came up with the Big Idea: A DOCTOR'S SHOCK!

The copy read: "I was shocked to learn my trusted vitamins and minerals had been shortchanging my body and my health for years! Then I discovered what I really needed..."

Of course, the payoff was what he really needed was whole foods which give the body nutrients in the way nature intended--and the best whole food: Sun Chlorella!

Here's the cover I created for this piece.


The results? This Big Idea became a Big Winner, a new control, and a piece that mailed successfully for years generating a huge number of new customers.

A Big Idea can be worth a million dollars--or more.

Finding them is like mining for gold. It's a lot of hard work, but when you find a Big Idea, it's Eureka!!!!!!!

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.

The Big Idea Part 2

As I mentioned in my last post, the BIG IDEA for a direct marketing campaign can be worth a million dollars--literally!

Another good source of BIG IDEAS is customer testimonials.

When you read testimonials, you get a first hand view of the customers needs and wants--plus how the product or service meets those needs and wants.

Testimonials are so valuable because they are like a "focus group"--you can glean a tremendous amount of BIG IDEAS from them

Some of my clients supply me with pages and pages of testimonial. One client sent me over 400 pages of testimonials on one product--amazing!

For a project called All Day Energy Greens, I came across a testimonial that was so great, I wrote a big WOW! next to it!

In a nutshell, a 63-year-old woman from Pennsylvania wrote that this product (an all-natural "green" energy drink) was so good it made her feel like the Energizer Bunny. Even better, she feels great, takes no medications, has no aches and pains and only sees her doctor...at church.

The last part of her testimonial really hit me.

From the seed idea of "only see my doctor at church" came the BIG IDEA: "62-Cent Green Energizer keeps you OUT of the doctor's office!"

This remarkable "green" drink, rich with 38 all natural fruits and vegetables and guaranteed to exceed five servings of fruits and vegetables a day is making people so healthy, they can stay OUT of the doctors office.

See the cover below.

The results? This piece has been a big success, beating the long-standing control piece and rolling out in very large numbers.

Sometimes, if you look hard enough, one testimonial can spark a Big Idea that becomes a Big Winner!