This morning, I was reading Frank Luntz’s Words That Work. That’s how I came across the following ancient marketing anecdote, with a very modern takeaway:
Back in the 1960s, Alka-Seltzer, the upset-stomach effervescent tablet, wasn’t selling well. And advertising wasn’t helping.
Then the company ran a new ad with a new jingle:
“Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is”
Result:
Sales almost doubled. Customers were happier. Alka-Seltzer as a business was rescued and was eventually sold to Bayer in 1977, for about $1.4 billion in today’s money.
WTF happened?
Plop plop fizz fizz…
Sure, the jingle was catchy. But that’s not what rescued Alka-Seltzer. Instead, it was simple economics.
Until this ad, most people, hung over on a Sunday morning from the Saturday night’s bender, would plop one Alka-Seltzer into some water, stare while it fizzed up, and then chug it down to feel less awful.
After all, that’s how Alka-Seltzer was sold, and that’s what the instructions on the box said.
It worked ok. Clearly not great though, considering the straits that Alka-Seltzer was in.
Then a doctor at the Alka-Seltzer labs named Dorothy Carter suggested taking two Alka-Seltzer instead of one, in order to “break through the pain barrier.”
Sure enough, two pills made the hangover more bearable. Customers were happier. And so were Alka-Seltzer execs, after the plop plop fizz fizz campaign spread the message to the public, and nearly doubled Alka-Seltzer consumption and sales.
The very modern takeaway, as relevant today as it was in the days of Madison Avenue jingles:
Educate your customers on consuming more of your product. Increase the transaction size, not by telling people they’ll save money, but by telling them how to get better results.
This ancient anecdote and the modern takeaway have nothing to do with my upcoming Daily Email Fastlane workshop.
Well, they have something to do with it, but I will save that for the actual workshop instead of giving away everything in this email.
In case you’re curious about this workshop, here’s what to know:
This workshop will cover the common elements I’ve seen in three uniquely successful daily emailers I’ve coached over the past year and a half.
These daily emailers have stood out to me — in terms of the money they make, the stability of their income, and simply in how much they seem to enjoy their business and their life.
My claim is that, once you know the common elements of three very different, and yet very successful daily email business owners, you can take what has worked for them and have it work for you. You can get to success with daily email for your personal brand, in the fast lane.
Daily Email Fastlane will happen next Thursday, May 23, at 8pm CET, 2pm EST, 11am PST.
The deadline to sign up is Wednesday, May 22, at 8:31pm CET.
In case you’d like to sign up now, so you can be sure not to miss out: