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July 25, 2007

The Next Blockbuster Weight Loss Product in Direct Response Advertising

People often ask us: what opportunities do you see out there? What categories are untapped? Any ideas?

Well, I've got one for you. A big one.

I've come up with the next blockbuster weight loss product concept and I'm going to share it with all of you - right here, right now.

That's right, I'm going to give the idea away. You are free to take the idea and run with it - you don't owe anyone anything. Nothing at all. Of course, I'm interested in your success, so don't hesitate to drop me a note when you take a break from counting your money.

Right now you probably don't believe that I'm going to actually give you the idea. Or maybe you don't think I actually have the idea at all. Or perhaps you think that I might have an idea but it's not very good.

In any of these cases, I challenge you to prove that this idea won't work.

Why do I believe this idea for a new blockbuster weight loss product will work? I'll give you just two reasons, though there are many more.

First, weight loss is a huge category. Perhaps the largest in the US. It has well-documented success in direct response advertising. No other product or service category has such broad appeal, which makes the advertising spending very efficient and scalable to the highest levels. Yet nobody to date has been able to tap into this demand in a way that doesn't require false claims or claims that can't be fully substantiated - at least not to the level the FTC requires. That's not to say this isn't possible - some excellent new products are on the horizon and they're all doing clinical studies to back their claims.

Second, the idea is unique. It's different. It's contrarian. And, best of all, it's not a lie. It doesn't require false claims to be sold and you don't need to over-promise to get people's attention - which means the product won't under-deliver. Customers will be incredibly satisfied. They'll tell lots of other people because they won't be able to not tell them. That's literally free advertising that will significantly boost sales per dollar spent on paid radio advertising. This is the most powerful element of highly profitable business models in the entire world of capitalism.

If you look at all the weight loss products that have existed so far, they all have very similar marketing messages (because they're the messages that get people to call and buy). They promise "rapid", "quick", "fast", "immediate" weight loss. They all promise that you'll "lose x pounds in x days". They all promise it will be EASY. No effort is required - neither changes in your diet nor any exercise are required. Just take this product, and you'll lose the weight, they all say. And you'll get all of this with no side effects.

Now logically we know for a fact that no such product exists yet. Pharmaceutical companies with billions of dollars haven't been able to do it. Some dietary supplements claim to do it but in fact no product works for all people all the time in the same way. If that's not enough, then consider that nowhere in the natural world (i.e. not fantasy) is there an inverse relationship between effort and reward.

The next new blockbuster weight loss product won't be a new pill. It'll be a new paradigm. You see, all of the weight loss products have been marketed and sold based on an unspoken premise. That premise is that you need to lose weight to be happy. The premise that weight loss will make you a valuable, happy person. Behind that premise is the message that you aren't okay as you are. You are bad, ugly, lazy, defective. You're fundamentally flawed. You're unacceptable. Unlovable.

Yeah, ouch.

So what people reach out for in a weight loss pill is the antidote to these horrible feelings. When in fact the antidote is not found in a pill or in losing weight. It never - never - will be. They're shooting for happiness but their aim is off.

Need proof of this? What percentage of people actually lose weight via this magic pill approach? It's quite low. And, of those who can plausibly attribute some meaningful weight loss to just popping a pill, how many of those actually keep the weight off? Again, very few - if any. And those few who do lose weight, how many of them actually find lasting satisfaction? Right. And the reason is because neither the pill nor losing weight solves the fundamental problem.

I know this is a radical proposition. That's part of what makes it so powerful.

The next blockbuster, industry-changing weight loss product will not offer something that changes people's weight. It will offer a product that changes the way people think about themselves. The product will show people - through direct experience, not "have faith" or "trust me" - that their worth as a person is not tied to their weight. It'll teach them how to see the fact that they're basically good regardless of their weight. But that's not the end of the story. Because once these people - the one's who've previously thought they had to be thinner to be valuable - see the truth about the independence of their value as a person and their weight, they'll be happy. Probably happier than they've ever been. It is from this perspective that people make lasting changes in their personal health because they choose it for the right reasons. Maybe some will decide they don't need to lose weight. Others will feel that shedding some pounds will result in a positive impact on them and/or people important to them in some practical way.

Will this message will resonate with people as much as the current one of "lose lots of weight really fast with no effort and no change in diet and no exercise"? Will people pick up the phone and call, or turn on their computer and go to the web site? And buy? That's the real question, isn't it?

Here's why they will: First, because it's what people want to hear. Now, sometimes that's used against people in advertising. But in this case it's also a message that's fundamentally true. And therein lies the incredible power of this message. People have a yearning to hear something and it's a message that's not manipulative, but true, reliable. That's the "perfect storm" recipe for high response-driving campaigns.

So, what do you think? Are you ready to get started?

Posted by Brett Astor at 11:28 AM | Permalink