Received this marketing piece with a recent issue of Australian “Men’s Health”…
It’s for a product called…
“The Men’s Health Big Book Of 15-Minute Workouts”.
Now it caught my attention as being both…
1) A good example of re-purposing and re-using content; and
2) Also a good example of an attractive product idea.
The monthly “Men’s Health” magazine often carries a section with a “15-Minute Workout”.
Usually 3-4 exercises designed to be completed in a circuit…
…and taking 15 minutes!
Now I’m guessing these articles are pretty popular (as I’ll discuss a little further shortly).
I’ve collected a number of them and made up my own “Workout Book”.
And I’m assuming that the publisher, Rodale, has confirmation somehow of that popularity with readers.
So they’ve taken the original articles and re-purposed them…
1) Firstly, in a number of small booklets that have been used as free gifts in the magazine; and
2) Now as a full book.
The booklets and, I assume, the book contain some additional material to complement the core articles.
But essentially, these are simply reprinting in a different format articles that have already been published in the magazine.
So if you’re looking for a way to create a book of some sort, one of the easiest ways is to simply take a series of articles and compile them in a sensible fashion.
Add some extra material if necessary (when you review and compile the articles, you’ll most likely come up with some good ideas).
This might sound a little simplistic, but that’s all Rodale have done here…
…and they are one of the biggest and most successful direct response marketing organisations in the world.
Back to the concept itself…
…remember that people are always looking for solutions that are quick, easy and cheap.
So which guy wouldn’t be interested in a 15-minute workout?
Look at the headline here…
“Why waste time? Get the results you want in just 15 minutes”.
(The main headline is on the reverse side…”Fast Track To A Better Body. A leaner, stronger you in 15 minutes a day.” Even better, although personally I would have made it “…in only 15 minutes a day!”)
A great concept, in my opinion.
As you would expect from Rodale, a nicely laid out ad.
Note…
1) Nice use of graphics with, effectively a set of “illustrated bullets
2) Multiple and clear ways to respond and purchase
3) The small customisation to the local audience, in the top right hand corner of the main panel…”FULL AUSTRALIAN EDITION”. Is the Australian edition really going to be much different from say, the UK or US edition? Probably not, but remember the power of a product that is presented as being specific to a group.
There you have a nice example from a leading practitioner of direct response marketing. Nothing fancy…
…but simple, elegant and I expect effective.