Great cartoon from Tom Fishburne sums up one of the biggest mistakes in business and marketing…
The full article “a better mousetrap” contains a number of interesting points and well worth the read.
Two big points to consider…
1. Is anyone going to care about your better mousetrap? Or from a marketing perspective, are enough people going to care to make the product a winner? The article talks about a new book with an interesting approach to this issue; AND…
2. Is the marketing effective?
Having a good product isn’t optional in marketing (especially direct response marketing)…
…it’s the essential starting point.
But from there on it’s all about the marketing. That’s where the money really lies.
Marketing legend Dan Kennedy relentlessly hammers home this point and has made a lot of money buying the rights to poorly marketed products.
One of the best examples, to my mind, of how marketing made all the difference is the legendary “Thighmaster”.
This was actually a complete flop when introduced as a general exercise device.
Even when re-positioned as a thigh toner, results were initially mediocre until they hit upon a successful offer.
(There’s a great video titled “Gadgetmania” from Discovery Channel that tells the Thighmaster story along with the history of the “pitchmen”…essential viewing for direct response marketers).
So, avoid the pitfall of the “better mousetrap” and think marketing first!