0816_TOEFL-Test-and-Score-Manual-1997

Marketing Strategies ● 163
Put contact information and hours of operation on the edge of an
awning. No matter what kind of sign you order, try to include your phone
number, hours of operation, and Web address.
I love brilliant neon signs, but not everyone does. Remember, before
you order a sign, check with local officials to make sure you meet local sign
regulations.
GREAT
Produce an Infomercial
If you think marketing your product via an infomercial
IDEA
is a quick and easy way to make millions—think again.
Industry experts say only 1 product in 20 actually hits the big time.
Although consumers buy more than a billion dollars’ worth of goods
a year, producing an effective infomercial remains an “imprecise science,”
according to a spokesman for the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA).
Infomercials first hit the airwaves in 1984, when Congress deregulated
the television industry. Most fall into a few broad categories: health and
beauty products, exercise equipment, motivational programs, and household
products.
One big success on the housewares front was the Smart Mop,
designed and manufactured by Santa Monica–based Smart Inventions
Inc. Cofounder and president Jon Nokes, a former biology teacher from
England, began selling his super-absorbent rayon mop on the county fair
and home-show circuit about seven years ago.
Although retailers expressed strong interest in the mop, Nokes decided
to market it directly to the public. When three established infomercial producers
turned him down, he and a team of out-of-work actors and models
hit the home show circuit, selling enough $29 mops to raise the $65,000
needed to shoot their first infomercial. Then, they bought about $15,000
worth of air time on a few stations to test consumer response. The mops
took off. They’ve sold more than five million mops to date.
Nokes, who started the company in a tiny apartment and stored
the mops in rented garages, said the secret of making money is to make