"This Business has Legs"

"Only in America could a would-be monk convince a faded televisionstar to pitch a rehabilitation device designed for Scandinavianskiers and create a nationwide sensation. The marketing strategyalone is worth the price of admission."
--Paul B. Brown Special Correspondent for the Business News Network(BNN) and coauthor of Customers for Life

"This is the first time the person behind a fad lays out the wholemarketing strategy he used. Even I learned a lot."
--Bob Rice Pet Rock Promoter

"Within a matter of months, Peter Bieler created a $100,000,000industry out of nothing. This fascinating book chroniclesstep-by-step how he did it."
--Steve Dworman Publisher, Infomercial Marketing Report

"As a jack, in an emergency, if you have a very small car ... As arack to dry homemade pasta ... Prop it on its side and presto! Twinpicture frames ... Have it bronzed and claim it's a very earlyHenry Moore ..."
--Diane White columnist for The Boston Globe on alternate uses forthe ThighMaster See Inside for Exciting Contest Details! Introduction 1

1. A Hollywood Adventure 9

2. Hat in Hand 35

3. An Irresistible Product 59

4. Shooting Suzanne 83

5. A Virtual Start Up 105

6. Ambushed 125

7. $100,000,000 151

8. A Cultural Icon 167

Epilogue 177

Peter's Time Line 185

Index 193 PETER BIELER has sold his stake in Ovation, the company that sold the ThighMaster Exercisers. He now owns a Hollywood-based advertising agency that specializes in infomercial marketing and another company that funds infomercial media purchases. SUZANNE COSTAS is a contributing editor at Bloomberg Personal and was an associate editor at Worth magazine. She divides her time between New Rochelle, New York, and Boston, Massachusetts. "this business has legs" How I Used Infomercial Marketing to Create the $100,000,000 ThighMaster^® Exerciser Craze "Me? I’m the guy behind the ThighMaster," says author Peter Bieler. "It’s a dubious distinction," he continues, infomercials being such an odd way of selling, "unless you appreciate the difficulties inherent in capturing the attention of the whole country, in selling six million ThighMasters in less than two years and doing it all without a war chest the size of General Motors." In fact, the phenomenon that grossed over $100 million began with no money, no product, and no experience. But there was always a plan. Where others looked at infomercials and saw only goofy products and fast money, Bieler saw a new business strategy. With a single infomercial, he got a phenomenal amount of national advertising and product name recognition for a fraction of the cost of a conventional ad campaign. He used this to get retail distribution. He put ThighMaster into Kmart, Wal-Mart, and other big chains, and went on to make even more money. Incredibly, Bieler turned an unglamorous product originally designed for injured skiers into a household name that turned up in David Letterman’s monologues and George Bush’s speeches. Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a start-up entrepreneur, if you’ve got a consumer product to sell, you can’t afford not to consider infomercial advertising. In "This Business Has Legs", Bieler explains everything you need to know about direct response television while regaling you with some of the most colorful characters to be found in a business book. A must-read and a highly entertaining account of one wild ride across the infomercial frontier. More than just a fun read, "This Business Has Legs" is packed with expert advice and practical information: Why should marketing executives use direct response advertising in their marketing mix? Because direct response is fully accountable advertising—nothing’s wasted. Direct response or conventional advertising—which is right for your product? Peter analyzes the winners and losers. How much does it cost to hire a star spokesperson? It costs less than you may think. Peter hired Suzanne Somers. How do you write a pitch that makes your product irresistible? Peter shows you how to design a pricing, copy, and offer strategy that suits what you’re selling. "Only in America could a would-be monk convince a faded television star to pitch a rehabilitation device designed for Scandinavian skiers and create a nationwide sensation. The marketing strategy alone is worth the price of admission."
—Paul B. Brown Special Correspondent for the Business News Network (BNN) and coauthor of Customers for Life

"This is the first time the person behind a fad lays out the whole marketing strategy he used. Even I learned a lot."
—Bob Rice Pet Rock Promoter

"Within a matter of months, Peter Bieler created a $100,000,000 industry out of nothing. This fascinating book chronicles step-by-step how he did it."
—Steve Dworman Publisher, Infomercial Marketing Report

"As a jack, in an emergency, if you have a very small car … As a rack to dry homemade pasta … Prop it on its side and presto! Twin picture frames … Have it bronzed and claim it’s a very early Henry Moore …"
—Diane White columnist for The Boston Globe on alternate uses for the ThighMaster See Inside for Exciting Contest Details!