What cannot be commoditized for gift purchase these days?

Yes, plastic surgery via gift card. Need a new nose, mum? Here’s the card you’ll want for Christmas…

I noticed this PR Web press release tonight when surfing online — Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills (the only plastic surgery center on world-famous Rodeo Drive) has unveiled its plastic surgery gift card.

If you read the article you’ll see some excellent writing and persuasion skills in action. Try this sentence:

“While the center has a discreet back entrance for Hollywood celebrities, it also provides procedures to people who never graced a magazine cover.”

Notice Cialdini’s social proof principle in action? Yes, this is the place Hollywood celebrities go to … how’s that for a powerful association. There are plenty of other sentences that also draw on the fact that plastic surgery is mainstream, luxurious, affordable and convenient.

According to the release, “The electronic gift card works for everything from consultations to nonsurgical rejuvenation with Botox and skin fillers to the center’s signature procedures such as tummy tuck, breast augmentation, and Beverly Hills liposculpture. It even can be used to give mom the renowned Rodeo Drive Mommy Makeover as a Mother’s Day gift. Gift card recipients are examined thoroughly to confirm their suitability for procedures.”

I still don’t think this tops Victoria’s Secret’s US$6.5 million diamond encrusted (800 carats) bra (Hearts on Fire Diamond Fantasty Bra) unvieled last Christmas!

Sage marketing advice from marketing gurus like Dan Kennedy refers to “Kennedy Results Triangle” based on getting the Message, Market and Media right.

For an excellent lesson on this, see Dan Kennedy’s No B.S. Direct Marketing book — less than 10 bucks on Amazon. Here’s a link if you need it:

Even if you get the message and media right — you’ll do no good if you don’t reach the right market!

Case in point: we received, in our letterbox, a flyer/menu for a local Pizza restaurant in Pascoe Vale. It talks all about home deliveries. It’s full colour, A3/tabloid size, heavy gloss paper, much bigger than others we get in terms of what’s on offer.

But they don’t deliver to our suburb. It lists the suburbs on the front of the brochure in small print, and we ain’t there. In fact, they deliver to a neighbouring suburb which is further away than our house (although we are on the Brunswick West edge of our postcode/suburb, Moonee Ponds).

Right message, Right media, Wrong market. All 3 work in tandem.

The flyer ends up in the bin. What a waste of marketing dollars! The best copywriting “message” in the world, if it was in this flyer, would be wasted on me, as the company doesn’t deliver to our suburb. The ideal menu distribution via letterbox, the “media” is low-cost and effective — but only to the right market!

Is “Powerseller” really a “status” on eBay?

Powerseller eligibility is (in part) based on turnover, but not on profit. You could, technically, qualify as a Powerseller and be making a loss every month!

Here’s what eBay says makes you eligible to be a Powerseller:

• Uphold the eBay community values, including honesty, timeliness and mutual respect
• Average a minimum of $1000 in sales per month, for three consecutive months on eBay.com, Half.com, eBay Express or eBay Motors
• Achieve an overall Feedback rating of 100, of which 98% or more is positive
• Have been an active member for 90 days
• Have an account in good financial standing
• Maintain a minimum of 4 average monthly listings for the past 3 months
• Comply with all eBay listing and marketplace policies

Do you notice anything in that list about profit? No! It’s all about your contribution to eBay, both being a good member and maintaining a minimum number for sales and income.

eBay make their fees based on your listing price, final valuation and all sorts of listing options. eBay don’t care if you make a profit or loss: the more turnover/higher incoming revenue you have, the more they make. They do of course, hope you make a profit, so you keep selling and buyers keep buying — but profit isn’t a pre-requisite to becoming a Powerseller.

So, in summary, Powerseller status simply helps eBay make profits — which doesn’t necessarily mean in turn that sellers make profits!

Isn’t that why eBay looks after its Powersellers — they bring in the best profits for eBay!

Do you look after YOUR best customers like eBay does? Do you know WHO your best customers are?

As a marketer-cum-copywriter with a strong sense of “consumer advocacy” — it really irks me when other copywriters and marketers “stretch the truth” about what they’re trying to sell.

Claims need PROOF. And they also need a dose of truth!

To protect the innocent, I’m not going to name specific culprits in this example.

I listed to an MP3 audio “special report” just yesterday, flogging a new product to do with online marketing. Specifically, eBay.

Part of the interview highlighted that the product author, until several months ago, didn’t really understand the internet, or internet marketing. Sure, it mentioned this person had had a successful business career as an entrepreneur, and as a marketer, but not online. They’d even been to, and presented at, seminars — but not really about this.

So why then, after just 5 minutes of public research, did I find out the product’s author is an eBay accredited “Education Specialist” who has been teaching people about internet marketing for 2 years?

Clearly a case of message incongruency.

I’m sure the strategy in the interview was to create empathy with possible purchasers, along the lines of “I was just like you, I didn’t really understand the internet until this magic pill — my product — came along.”

In turn, that means to imply something along the lines of … “you too can achieve great results because you are just like I used to be.”

Interesting too that the figures being mentioned dealth with “they made $xxxxxx” rather than the amount of PROFIT. Turnover isn’t profit! There were also a couple of other claims which are not specifcally true, although a little more explaining would have been proof enough to warrant making the claim.

In all honesty, I can’t rate the actual product that was for sale — because I don’t own it. But I don’t intend to own it, especially now!

The funny thing is, as a copywriter, I don’t know why this eBay background wasn’t turned into an advantage, rather than being hidden. There are plenty of ways I could use this info to prevent the 20 percent of the population who have my type of personality (that can be quite rebellious, and need logic, proof and details!) from being turned off a sale.