Sleeping All The Way To The Bank…
Yup, an ad in the New York Times for a pillow. This direct response ad has been running in the Sunday edition of the Times for a few months now. And ads in the New York TImes aren’t cheap. So obviously, it’s working.
One thing I hear a lot from business people is, “But I’m selling the same thing eveyrone else is selling. I can only compete on offering it cheaper.”
This direct response ad is a perfect example of how to take a relatively mundane product…make it seem special…and sell it at a premium price. The Standard MyPillow sells for $79.95. And their Deluxe PremiumKing pillow sells for $109.
Not only that, but this clever inventor and direct marketer has taken something most people typically have to see and feel before they buy… and convinces them to buy it sight unseen. Pretty impressive.
It reminds me of David Oreck who sold his vacuum cleaners through the mail with radio commercials. When he first came up with the idea to advertise a vacuum on the radio, people thought he was nuts.
Just because people are accustomed to going to a store to buy certain products, doesn’t mean you can’t get them to change their buying patterns. All it takes is smart marketing and a strong appeal.
OK, let’s see what makes the MyPillow ad such a great direct response ad…
Last week, when I reviewed the fishing lure ad, I mentioned if you have a strong guarantee, you might want to use it in the headline or subhead. Well, lookie here…
Guaranteed the Most Comfortable Pillow You’ll Ever Own!
Now even though the ad starts with a guarantee… it’s a weak guarantee. It’s too vague. The secret to a GREAT guarantee is to make it as specific as possible. For example, The Benjamin Hotel in New York City has this sleep guarantee: Continue reading
