Missing Attachment

The man above called 911 after getting pissed off about Subway’s terrible food and customer service.  Can you honestly blame the guy?  He is most likely a tax paying citizen and has every right to call 911.  After listening to his 911 calls it took local police almost an hour to get there.  I find it annoying that this story has made national headlines and the media is chastizing this man.  He was simply trying to get what he paid for.  He is probably poor and hungry - do we have no compassion for the needy in this country?  He was even polite to the 911 employees.  This customer was ripped off by Subway (as thousands of American’s every day are) because the owner/operators rip you off by giving you very little meat and condiments.  I say kudos to this man for having the balls to call the police on Subway.  Because Subway really sucks.  Leave your comments on whether or not you like Subway.  You can read more about this consumer grievence on The Smoking Gun.

Missing Attachment

Missing Attachment

I came across this late night infomercial: Kinoki Detox Foot Pad, (direct response television advertisement) the day after New Years. The Kinoki Detox Foot Pad is another brilliant marketing product that I’m sure will be a top selling DR product in 2008. Livemercial is the company behind this brilliantly executed DR product. January and February are the biggest Direct Response marketing months of the years – New years and Valentines day, people want to make changes. The following is an analysis of the Kinoki Detox Foot Pad and how Livemercial is making millions of dollars from this incredibly worthless (but highly believable) product.

Firstly, lets discuss the late night infomercial I saw on NewYears at 2 am in the morning (I would have been out later, but LA shuts down rather early). The infomercial contained all of the components of a high end direct response marketing piece:

• Attention getter (A big “WOW” opener) that immediately shocks and focuses the watchers attention on the commercial.
• Explained the benefits of the products: drains your body of toxins, poisons, bring back health, removes pain, fatigue, and LOSE WEIGHT- basically a CURE ALL product.
• Testimonials from beautiful people explaining the incredible benefits of the product and how it has cured them from ills and emotional distress. The testimonials were very personable and amateur looking – as generic high end testimonials are very unbelievable.
• The call to action at the end of the commercial encouraging viewers to immediately purchase the product either by calling in or ordering through the website.

The website contained all of the components of a high end direct response marketing website:

• Portions of the television advertisement are featured on the landing page
• Highly believable testimonials that are featured on the home page and on its own separate page
• FAQ’s and clinical information that supports the claims of the product
• Call to action that is above the fold on the home page – far too many DR landing pages on the net have call to action links that are below the fold.

I called the 1800 number and was greeted with, “Hello, this is Susan.” I said, “Hello Susan, I would like to order the health product.” Susan responded, “which product is it that you want to purchase?” I said, “The one that makes you healthy, I can’t remember the name of it, I am drunk and it is New Years.” Susan said, “You must tell me the name of the product otherwise I am unable to sell you anything.” I responded, “Ok, tell you what, I just want to buy everything you have, what can you sell me.” Susan was unable to tell me what products that they sell – this clearly seemed like some type of scam operation. I’m unable to determine why she was unable or unwilling to tell me what products she sells in the call center she works at - probably because it is a call center that handles hundreds of products. I hung up on her and went to the Kinoki website.

I placed the order on the website so I could take photos of the product and expose it for the incredible scam (which I believe and will report truthfully on) that it is. This is where the Kinoki Detox Footpads really shines in the marketing world – they offer two types of products to purchase:

1. The Kinoki Detox Footpads for a one time charge of $19.99
2. The Konoki Detox Footpads for a monthly recurring charge of $19.99

The average user probably enrolls for the Kinoki monthly foot club and doesn’t even know they are enrolled in a recurring billing trap. The website makes it very confusing (*Free for life continuity program) when you determine which product to purchase, the monthly foot club purchase option is pre-populated and therefore, somewhat deceptive but truly brilliant. I would estimate that it takes 3-6 billing cycles before a subscriber actually cancels his or her membership (so a blended CPA average of $80), and I’m sure some people will stay a subscriber for life, as the placebo effect (which I believe and will report on) has a positive impact on the users mental psyche. The profit margin on these detox footpads are probably some of the highest in the direct response marketing industry. I would imagine that they cost less than a dollar to manufacturer and package. The shipping fees for these pads are egregious and clearly not the real value of the shipping, the additional amount is called, “Handling”.

Before your purchase is completed you are presented with additional products to purchase that can make you look 10 to 20 years younger. Livemercial truly knows how to monetize its users, through recurring billing and up-selling. The elements outlined in this article, and clearly demonstrated by the Kinoki foot detox pad, are the fundamental building blocks of a successful direct response marketing campaign. The product is incredibly profitable, the television commercial is professional (contains high end graphics, testimonials, etc…), and the website offers continuity as well as high end graphics and the same elements as the television commercial.

The consultants at BannerBlindness.com study, design, and execute highly successful campaigns just like the Kinoki Detox Footpads. Banner Blindness online marketing professionals specialize in developing:

• Product development and outsourcing
• Direct response television marketing pieces
• Call center and online ordering support
• Direct response ordering websites
• Online marketing (paid search, display advertising, affiliate marketing)
• Multivariant and A/B split testing for all components of the DR campaign
• Customer support and product reconciliation

To speak with a Banner Blindness online marketing professional call: 312-281-8931 or email Support@BannerBlindness.com

Happy New Year!