Primary Promise: The chance to become very rich.
Proprietary Solution: The new investment opportunity in “the new railroad.”
Intellectually Interesting Appeal: What is this “new railroad” that allowed an ex-bond trader to make so much money, so consistently… and how do I get in on it?
This was one of the most successful promotions in the history of direct response. It generated tens of thousands of new customers and generated tens of millions of dollars during its life.
Many business owners and entrepreneurs knew that when railroads were built to connect the United States in the early 1900s, it generated absurd levels of wealth for railroad owners and shareholders, not to mention created dozens of industries that are still alive today.
The creation of railroads represented the beginning of a massive economic boom for America.
This promotion piggybacks on the economic explosion of the railroad and connects it to “a new railroad” which in this case was… The Internet.
That’s what a big idea does.
It takes something ordinary, boring, or commonplace and mystifies it into something fascinating and compelling… Something the prospect has no choice but to investigate.
This promotion is a perfect example.
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