Sex and Money

As you can see, I have enclosed a rather eye-catching photo with this letter.

Why have I done this? It's simple...

To Help You Learn A Way
To Make A Lot More Money!

You'll understand completely when you've finished reading this newsletter.

After that dud of a newsletter last month, I have decided to make up for it this month by giving you some info which will be profitable and interesting. This issue is gonna be all about...

Sex And Money!

Money first.

When I got started in the direct response business, the postage cost to mail a one-ounce, first-class letter was 6¢. Now, it's up to 37¢.

But hold on un momentito. The per capita income of the U.S. when I started in direct response back in 1968 was $2,231... and... the per capita income now is about $22,400. That means, first-class postage has risen in price by 617%... but... our average per capita income has gone up 1004%.

So, when you adjust for inflation, it is actually cheaper to buy a stamp now than it was more than 30-years ago. Trust me, for a "certain" reason, this is going to be a very exciting piece of information (after you finish reading this letter), which pertains to you.

But, meanwhile, just for fun, let's examine the cost of buying a first-class stamp each year all the way back to 1900.

In 1900, the cost of a first-class stamp was 2¢. It stayed at 2¢ for 16 years! Then, in 1917, the cost went to 3¢... which was a 50% increase. It stayed that way for two years until 1919... when... they dropped the price back to 2¢!

You know what's weird? When they went from 2¢ to 3¢, it was a 50% jump in price. But, when the price dropped back to 2¢, it was only a 33% reduction in price. Does that mean you could buy shit for $20 and sell it for $30 (a 50% jump in price)... and then... buy it back for $20 (a 33% reduction in price)... and... thus make a 17% profit? (50% minus 33% equals 17%)

Somehow, I know this ain't so... but... it sure would be a neat way to make money if it was so, wouldn't it?

Anyway, in 1919 stamps were selling for 2¢ again and they didn't go up until 1932 when they rose to 3¢. After that, the rate of a stamp stayed at 3¢ for 26 years all the way to 1958 when it started selling to the tune of 4¢ apiece.

How long did that 4¢ figure last? Only five years this time. In 1963 stamps increased to a nickel (5¢) apiece. Five years go by and, in 1968, they are charging 6¢.

That rate only lasted three years. In 1971, stamps soared to 8¢ each. Again, only three years pass until the next price increase. In 1974, 10¢ would fetch you a first-class stamp. A mere one year later, the going rate hiked to 13¢. After three years of selling at 13¢, in 1978 the price of a first-class stamp advanced to 15¢. In 1981, 19¢. In 1985, 22¢. In 1988, 25¢. In 1991, 29¢. In 1995 they advanced to 32¢. In 1999, up a penny to 33¢. In 2001, up another penny to 34¢. And now, in 2002, the price of a first-class stamp is only 37¢.

You know what this all translates to? Just this:

First-Class Postage Stamps Are
Now The BEST Bargain You
Can Get Your Hands On!

At least, if you are in direct marketing. Escucha! (That means "listen" in Spanish.) Escucha: About 10 years ago, only 7 out of 100 pieces of mail were what I call "A-Pile" mail. That's mail which is, or which appears to be, a first-class personal letter. By making sure all my letters got into that A-Pile, I had an enormous advantage over nearly everyone else selling by direct mail.

And Now... That Same
Advantage Is Humongous!

People hardly ever send letters anymore. Instead, people are using e-mail. In fact, I bet now, only about 1 out of 200 pieces of mail are (or appear to be) A-Pile mail.

In a newsletter I wrote years ago, I described how, when I was a little boy, the phone rang at my Grandma's house and the operator would say, "You have a long distance call." The entire household would come to attention. Someone would say in a hushed tone, "Grandma, it's long distance!"

The impact of a long distance phone call in those days was tremendous.

Nowadays, of course, a long distance call is so routine, nobody gives it a second thought. Even an international call doesn't cause much of a flurry anymore.

Anyway, in that same newsletter, I said I was the biggest customer of Federal Express in all of Monroe County, Florida. And, as I also explained, I didn't use FedEx because of their speed of delivery. No, I used FedEx... because of...

The Impact A Federal Express
Package Had On A Recipient!

This was especially true of someone who didn't work in an office. Even today, Federal Express packages are given enormous attention by a person who receives one at his or her house.

Now, because of that tiny percent of letters which are actually real letters...

You Can Get A Similar Impact For Your
Sales Message For Only 37¢!

Let's add some grease to the frying pan. Some group of morons (I don't know if they were government morons or advertising morons) have just completed a study which revealed... sex does NOT work in advertising.

What Pure
Unadulterated Bullshit!

What is really true is... sex used improperly does not work in advertising. It's like saying headlines don't work in advertising... or... words don't work in advertising. Actually, that's true... if... you are talking about stupid headlines and stupid words.

Sex (used properly) can enormously improve the profitability of your advertising. But, many advertising experts have had it beaten into their brains that "sex sells"... without ever being taught... it is only "sex used properly" which increases sales.

Let's talk about (and allow me to illustrate) how sex is often used  improperly.

Let's say some big company is selling a laundry detergent. They run television, newspaper and magazine ads featuring a woman with gigantic breasts. Those ads will be remembered. The women who see the ads will remember them with disgust. The men will remember them because they will fixate on those gigantic breasts. But, you know what? Because of improper use of sex in that advertising...

Nobody Will Remember The
Name Of The Laundry Detergent!

There are different types of sex appeal. Take Penelope Cruz, for instance. She's beautiful, she's sexy... and... she looks like a nice person. Men like her. Women like her. Thus, she is perfect for the perfume campaign she models for.

On the other hand, can you even imagine a woman who would buy "Pamela Anderson Perfume"?

Pamela Anderson and other women with her type of "sex appeal" are perfect for advertising targeted to the "Slamhead" market. In case you don't know, a "Slamhead" is a young, male beer drinker (most often a college student) who, after he drinks his beer, slams the empty can into his forehead, then finishes crumbling it with his hand... and then... throws the crushed can away. These are the guys who howl like dogs at bikini contests, urinate off hotel balconies, and buy videos of "Girls Gone Wild."

"Slamheads" are attracted to Pamela Anderson. So, if "Slamheads" are your target market, use her or a woman like her.

But, most of your marketing efforts will not be targeted to "Slamheads." And, since that's the case, our marketing efforts need to use a different kind of sex appeal. In my last issue, I suggested you peruse this particular website...

www.SirianCalendar.com

You know what I forgot? Odd as it may seem, many of my readers still don't have or use computers. So, for those people (and for those of you who haven't been to that website recently), I am going to reproduce in this newsletter something which is now on the website: