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Psyche Marketing
The Latest Marketing Trend
by Kent Lewis

Those well versed in Internet marketing may be aware of such catchy terms as "viral marketing" or "spiral marketing." Unfortunately, that is old hat. With the recent economic downturn and budget cutbacks, marketers are resorting to more creative tactics to generate awareness and sales. The latest trend to gain popularity is referred to as "psyche marketing."

The concept is not entirely new, but has recently generated a buzz at industry events nonetheless. Editor Richard Yank at MarketBlitz calls psyche marketing "the most revolutionary concept since the Cracker Jack toy surprise." While Yank’s sweeping statement has yet to be proven, his views are backed by others.

Mike Holon, director of marketing at CD-rewind.com, is one of psyche marketing’s most outspoken proponents. The online retailer of automatic CD rewind devices became the 12th most visited site on the Internet, thanks to a creative promotion involving BMW automobiles.

"We created a contest where we ’gave away’ 30 new BMW convertibles to every customer," stated Holon. "It was so successful, our site shut down for hours at a time over the duration of the promotion."

The concept is simple, according to Holon. He took the time to outline the basic requirements for a successful psyche marketing campaign:

1. Set your objective. Figure out what you’d like to achieve with the promotion and keep focused.

2. Pick an appropriate promotional item. Make sure the giveaway is relevant. With psyche marketing, cost is not a concern, so think big! Don’t worry if you don’t have a product, or a company, flexibility is key.

3. Create captivating copy. Alliteration is a powerful tool when creating snappy verse. Hook potential customers with catchy phrases, a sense of urgency and a desire to fit in.

4. Integrate the database. The amount of interest and traffic generated by the promotion will be overwhelming. Make sure you have a robust backend with customized reporting capabilities.

5. Launch the campaign. Get the word out every way possible. Abuse advertising, deluge with direct mail and pound them with PR.

6. Count your money. Watch the contest registrations, new customer leads and sales pile up. Make sure to deposit your funds in an offshore account and be liberal with bookkeeping. When people come asking questions, you want to make sure you’re prepared.

7. Address fulfillment. Develop an elaborate customer service program to support the numerous queries from customers, investors and federal agents.

"In three weeks, we generated $983,251,000 in sales," said Holon from an undisclosed location. "What makes psyche marketing so effective is the fact that you don’t accrue any costs. We’re looking forward to our next promotion to help introduce our new powered water product, likely to involve a vacation to the Cayman Islands."

Yank agrees with Holon, "What we’re seeing is a need to reduce spending yet meet outlandish sales goals. The only way to do that is to offer amazingly wonderful prizes, and avoid actually having to furnish them."

Update: Mike Holon is currently enjoying a sabbatical at Folsom Correctional Facility, where he plans to write a book about his experience with psyche marketing. Richard Yank was recently unveiled as a silent partner in CD-rewind.com and will soon join Holon at Folsom where he plans to launch his psyche marketing consultancy. Both were asked to hand over the keys to their BMWs. For more information, visit psychemarketing.com.