Heartstring Marketing
I've noticed a growing trend of so-called marketers using heartstring marketing - I'm not really sure what else to call it…I'm sure you've seen the sort of thing that I mean;
Please buy my XYZ product as I have 18 children to feed and nothing in the pantry…
I'm a 16 year old schoolkid, buying my ABC product will help me to pay my fees through college…
And many more sob stories like these…
Sure, it's hard luck if you have some problems in your life - but doesn't everyone have problems at some time or other? I really detest seeing these sorts of messages - it makes a mockery of the buying process in my opinion. If a product or service is good enough, it will sell regardless of how many "hard luck" stories are told.
I have no doubt that there are genuine people having a run of poor luck out there - and I wish them well; just don't rely on sympathy to get money out of my pocket. Make your product or service valuable to me and you have much more chance of making a sale.
Comment by Gary B. — January 10, 2006 @ 12:37 pm
Now that I read what I've written, it occurs to me that I may just be a cynical b'stard.
Perhaps I should be more forgiving towards people who are in a bad situation? Maybe I can strive for that in 2006.
Comment by Oli — January 10, 2006 @ 12:50 pm
But as with crappy sales letters, it seems to work.
For example, the news agencies never seem to get tired of talking about how Alex Tew of milliondollarhomepage started his site to get himself out of debt at uni - all good publicity for him…
Comment by Danny — January 10, 2006 @ 1:10 pm
Funny you should say that Burt, I wrote on my AIS Blog yesterday about The Million Dollar Homepage - http://ais.thinkcreations.co.uk/?p=7
The guy set the site up to fund his Uni course and the first thing he purchased was a brand new Mini Cooper.
Comment by Tom — January 10, 2006 @ 1:33 pm
And, he's now 'deferred' his uni course so that he can count his money and look at all the business opportunities / job offers he's got! So the whole reason for the site existing has disappeared..
Comment by Wil Rushmer — January 10, 2006 @ 4:39 pm
I'm sure if any of us were under the same circumstances, university would be deferred as well. don't knock him for good intention. bottom line is he had a great idea, that showed great success. Plans will always change in ones life.
Comment by baldy — January 10, 2006 @ 7:25 pm
I f#cking hate this kind of marketing! Nothing makes me not want to buy something more than a sob story about how someone has been ill, or can't afford to buy a piece of software. It's been happening a lot on the KWA forum recently (especially over xmas). Are these stories even true? I somehow doubt most of them are.
Trouble is, you can't say anything because all the suckers on there who do believe it will just jump on you and make you look like a cynical b@stard.
At least that guy from the milliondollar homepage thing came up with a neat idea to get himself out of debt.