Thursday, October 27, 2022

#171 Coppola Creations

 http://dennyhatch.blogspot.com/2022/10/171-coppola-creations.html

#171 Blog Post - Thursday, 27 October 2022

 

Posted by Denny Hatch

 

A Divinely Inspired Divine Catalog

Guided by a Tiny Voice Deep Inside

 

It's a rare catalog that is so deeply personal—and deeply felt—as Coppola Creations (née Sacred Silks), the creation of Californian Angela Joy Coppola. Her products: reproductions on silk of stained glass windows and other designs from sacred sites and museums around the world.

 

The Beginnings

Born to a Jewish mother and an Italian father, Coppola had two uncles in the garment business who manufactured high-end women's coats and suits and a third uncle who sold fabric. As a girl, she spent hours watching the designers at work, the cutters, the fitters and the models.

 

At age 17, she was the best-dressed secretary in the purchasing department at Revlon, making $73 a week and wearing $500 suits and dresses—all given to her at cost by her uncles.

 

At age 21, she went to work for Fabergé as assistant director of advertising and promotion and was put in charge of buying all print production—from brochures to shipping boxes. In a succession of promotions, Coppola went on to become a brand manager, director of marketing for the Xanadu Division and, finally, at the ripe old age of 28, creative director.

 

Two years later, she moved to San Francisco where she was hired as vice president and creative director for Holiday Magic, a company that sold health and beauty aids direct to consumers.

 

On Her Own

Figuring she had learned everything needed to run a business, Coppola started her own skincare company, Secrets of the Earth.

 

"At big corporations, other people ran the business and coped with the finances," she says. "I got my MBA at Secrets of Earth. I learned how not to run a company." She adds ruefully, "It didn't make it."

 

After taking a year off, Coppola decided the best kind of business was one with no inventory. So she started an advertising agency and quickly landed a number of big-name accounts including Levi's, Jordache men's swimwear, and Celine and Galanos perfumes. After 16 years, she had socked away a stash of cash.


"Working under constant deadlines in a business where other people, such as clients, make decisions and change everything was debilitating," she says. "I was burned out, so I simply closed up shop and spent the next five years getting to know myself and trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life."

 

Divine Serendipity

At a social gathering in San Francisco, the wife of the dean of Grace Cathedral asked Coppola to volunteer some time to help generate revenue for the church gift shop. Since she lived two blocks from the cathedral, she agreed and thought no more about it.

 

Late one evening, Coppola was walking by Grace Cathedral and glanced up. One of the stained glass windows was lighted from behind, the colors glittering like jewels against the inky night sky. It suddenly hit her that the window would make a fabulous silk scarf.

 

"It was a little voice deep within me," she says. "I wasn't thinking about starting a new business. I had not even been to the gift shop to see what they were selling. I feel I was divinely inspired. It was the first of a series of small miracles in my life."

 

The next day she called the dean's wife who loved the idea at once. Coppola called a contact, someone whom she knew had made a scarf for the city of San Francisco. The photograph was taken and as she was watching the strike-off—the first raw silk print of the scarf—that same little voice told her she could do the same thing for sacred sites of all religions around the world. She crafted a business plan and booked a trip to Europe to look at stained glass windows and artworks.

 

One window she wanted to include in the burgeoning collection was the Southern Rose Window of Notre Dame de Paris. Designed in 1260 and known for the radiant pink and crimson tones developed in Paris' famous glass workshops, the window depicts Christ of the Apocalypse, the Twelve Apostles, 24 Martyrs and Martyr Virgins with angels completing the design's outer edge. Coppola called the French consulate in San Francisco, the French embassy in Washington, even the French government in France and got a runaround. France was only interested in promoting French products abroad, not the other way around, she was told.


"But Notre Dame makes money on it from sales in the cathedral," she explained, "and gets a royalty on every scarf sold. Can't you help me?"

 

"Pas du tout," was the response. "Not at all."

 

Coppola recounts her next moves: A couple of weeks before she was to leave on the trip, she got an e-mail from an old friend who was coming to town, a man she had not seen in three years. It turned out his godmother worked in the mayor's office in Paris. Two days later Coppola was in touch with the right person at Notre Dame.

 

"A week before I was leaving, I was invited to a party in my apartment building. I was too busy getting ready for the trip, but something told me to go. I went and saw some people, had a bite to eat and started to leave."

 

But the little voice inside of her told her to go back into the party. In the living room was one empty seat, which she took. A woman turned to her and said, "You should be talking to Alvin."

 

Seems that Alvin had spent five years living in Como, Italy, and was good friends with a retired silk designer who agreed to see Coppola. He wound up designing her first nine scarves.

 

When she got to London, Coppola went to see the merchandiser at Westminster Abby. "What you propose will never work here," he told her. "We sell trinkets to tourists. Go to St. Paul's. They have great mosaics on the ceiling that would be perfect for what you have in mind."

 

Coppola arrived at St. Paul's five minutes before closing. She met the buyer and breathlessly explained her proposition. He said to come back at 10 a.m. the following day. She did; he signed up.

 

On a second trip around the world, Coppola signed the contracts and gave orders to her suppliers in Korea, Japan and China. Her business was on its way.

  

 

Download the Exquisite

Coppola Creations Catalog

https://www.coppolacreations.com

• You are immediately offered Free Priority Shipping and a 10% discount for joining the list.

 

• Click on what you would like to see: SCARVES - WALL HANGINGS - TABLE OVERLAYS - TIES & POCKET SQUARES - PILLOWS - HANGERS - BY MUSEUM - BY LOCATION.

 

• The illustrations are gorgeous.

 

• You'll find a concise history of the museum or sacred site where the original artwork is found and info on the artist so you can dazzle people who ask what the design is.

 

• Finally, the prices are right for these masterpieces of hand-screen printed 100% Silk Twill with Hand-rolled hem. They range from $35 to $125 for scarves. $74.99 to $125 for wall hangings. (This in contrast to up-up-market Hermes scarves that can run as high as $3,000 or more.)


Angela Coppola's Deeply Personal Summation of Her Career

"We hope that the Sacred Art we have chosen to bring you will inspire you. Part of the beauty of owning these gorgeous silks is to use them to create a Sacred Space in the home that is conducive to prayer and contemplation. As you can see from our website, these silks can also be worn in a variety of ways. The box of each silk comes with the history of the Sacred Art and the sacred site from which it was inspired.

"As I have traveled the world to visit these Sacred Sites, I have been moved not only by their extraordinary visual beauty, but by the beauty of the heartfelt messages I have heard over and over again from those I met. People throughout the world express a common desire for connection with God – including the qualities of world peace, love, understanding, kindness, service, and love for humanity. The desire to be a reflection of all that Christ stands for is a universal need shared by all humanity. This is truly the “Christian Way.”


P.S. A Fascinating Opportunity When You Google "Angela Coppola":

 


Takeaways to Consider

• Many folks—when they are kids—know intuitively what they want to do when they grow up.

 

• Others — myself and Angel Coppola, for example — stumble into our life's work.

 

• Denny Hatch stumbled into his future.  To find how he achieved oh-so-minor fame and oh-so-modest fortune as an expert in junk mail, check out his story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ww8a-8hyio&t=48s

 

• The saddest sacks in the workplace are the folks who have been suckered into racking up six figures in student loan debt, graduate from top business schools and on graduation you ask, "What do you want to do?"  A not uncommon reply: "Oh, gee, I don't really know. I think maybe I'd like to start some kind of business... "

 

  The most fascinating people in the world are those who are driven and engaged and passionate about what they do.

 

• "If you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life." —Mark Twain or maybe Ray Bradbury or possibly Confucius

 

 If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.  —Joseph Campbell 

 

• If you hear a tiny voice from somewhere deep inside you, don't ignore it! Listen carefully!

 

# # #

 

Word count: 1617




292pp     6" x 9"
Hardcover:     $39.95
Paperback:     $29.95
ebook/Kindle: $19.95

Amazon

 https://www.amazon.com/Method-Marketing-Denison-Hatch/dp/1648372767/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=method+marketing&qid=1681898276&sr=8-9

Barnes & Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/method-marketing-denison-hatch/1100485178?ean=9781648372766

 

At age 15, Denny Hatch—as a lowly apprentice—wrote his first news release for a Connecticut summer theater. To his astonishment it ran verbatim in The Middletown Press. He was instantly hooked on writing. After a two-year stint in the U.S. Army (1958-60), Denny had nine jobs in his first 12 years in business. He was fired from five of them and went on to save two businesses and start three others. One of his businesses—WHO’S MAILING WHAT! newsletter and archive service founded in 1984—revolutionized the science of how to measure the success of competitors’ direct mail. In the past 55 years he has been a book club director, magazine publisher, advertising copywriter/designer, editor, journalist and marketing consultant. He is the author of four published novels and seven books on business and marketing.

CONTACT
dennyhatch@yahoo.com


Note to Readers:  
May I send you an alert when each new blog is posted? If so, kindly give me the okay by send
ing your First Name, Last Name and email to dennyhatch@yahoo.com. I guarantee your personal information will not be shared with anyone at any time for any reason. The blog is a free service. No cost. No risk. No obligation. Cancel any time. I look forward to being in touch!

IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE POSTING A COMMENT… EMAIL ME! I'LL HELP!
Google owns Blogspot.com and this Comment Section. If you do not have a Google account — or if you find it too damn complicated — contact me directly and I will happily post your comment with a note that this is per your permission. Thank you and do keep in touch. dennyhatch@yahoo.com


Invitation to Marketers and Direct Marketers: 
Guest Blog Posts Are Welcome. 
If you have a marketing story to tell, case history, concept to propose or a memoir, give a shout. I’ll get right back to you. I am: dennyhatch@yahoo.com
215-644-9526 (rings on my desk). 

You Are Invited to Join the Discussion.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

#170 SV List

 http://dennyhatch.blogspot.com/2022/10/170-sv-list.html

#170 Blog Post - Tuesday, 11 October 2022
 

Posted by Denny Hatch 

 

A Mind-blowing Survey and the Unique
List of 20 Million Upmarket Consumers

 


Many, many years ago I somehow landed as a copywriting client in Toronto a tiny company called Shopper's Voice. I have no idea how we found each other. I went up for an exploratory visit and found I would be working for a peach of guy—perhaps the nicest, most knowledgeable client I ever had. The company was putting together a marketing survey of consumers and wanted some help with the verbiage for the questionnaire and messaging to persuade people to take the survey.

 

I don't remember my client's name, but my gosh he was a lovely, low-key young guy. I made a couple of trips to Canada for meetings. When I asked about the business model—how he planned to monetize the service—the reply was vague. I didn't pursue it. Instead I concentrated on the copy and he liked what I did. Whereupon after two or three months he announced the company was being acquired by Epsilon. My client was going to marry the love of his life and retire young. I had met Epsilon's John Groman—another lovely guy—who had his own copy staff. I was let go. It was all very amicable.

 

Revisiting Shopper's Voice

Last month on a whim I Googled Shopper's Voice. All I can say...


WARNING

I interrupt this blog post to alert readers that after joining Shopper's Voice I am suddenly being blitzed with torrents of JUNK EMAIL, SPAM AND OBVIOUS SCAMS. 

 

 Denny's Yahoo Inbox



 

I now continue where I left off as if this rude interruption never happened...

 

Imagine the profitability of a list of 20 million consumers who are guaranteed to read their mail and order products and services over distance—email, Internet, TV, telephone and direct mail.

 

What's more all 20 million folks (representing 40 million families) on this list happily blabbed everything about themselves—the entire intimate nitty-gritty of their lives. Among the specifics they shared for their entry:

 

name - street address - email addresses - family members' ages  - occupation - income - retirement plans - investments - specific credit cards (and reasons for ownership) - credit limit - bank balance -  health - ailments - medications - insurance - real estate - own or rent - hobbies - diet - eating habits - smoking - social concerns - religion -  donations and specific non-profits - interests - sports - apparel  and sizes of family members - magazines - political party - products & services ordered by mail (and from whom) - specific electronics owned - home technology - pets.

 

Here's a Sampling of How Deep into the Weeds

Of Responders' Lives the Survey Goes

 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

As a reminder, responses may be used to provide you with information regarding heath conditions and products that might be of interest.

 

DIABETES

Do any household members have diabetes?

Yes

No

  

1) What type of diabetes do household members have?

                                                                    You          Others in Household                             

Type 1

Type 2

Not Certain

 

2) Do household members use any of the following to manage diabetes?

                                                                                    You          Others in Household

Glucose monitor

Insulin injection - 3+ times per day

Insulin injection - 1, 2 or 3 times per day

Insulin pump

Oral medication

Diet or exercise

 

3) What types of Insulin do household members use?

                                                                      You          Others in Household                                                  

Humulin 70/30

Lantus

Levemir

Novolin 70/30

Novolog

Other

 

RHUMATOID ARTRITIS

  = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Forty-five years later, the business model and promises made sense.

 

In Shopper's Voice Own Words

Epsilon’s Shopper's Voice database is made up from a mix of online and postal survey responders who have taken the time to complete our comprehensive Shopper’s Voice survey, providing us information about unique, hard-to-find data points such as ailments, product usage, purchase intentions, lifestyles, and demographics.

With Shopper's Voice data, you can reach high potential prospects by targeting consumers with known interest and behaviors. Our precision targeting allows you to reach proven direct mail responsive consumers, maximizing your response rates and reducing your cost per responder. Find the right customers, target them with the right message, and increase your ROI.

 

Shopper's Voice—You Can Do the Arithmetic on a Cocktail Napkin

Let's say the average one-time rental order is $75/M plus 5 refinements at $10/M for a total of $125/M.

Assuming my arithmetic is correct (I sometimes get lost in zeros) why that's $2.5 million smackeroos every time the list of 20 million consumers is turned.

 

Expenses:

• Salaries

• Commissions to list brokers

• Minimal digital ad buys to attract consumer volunteers. 

• Minimal expenses for gift premiums and "online thank-you goodies" for participating.

• No product or service development costs.

• No testing costs.

• No cost of goods sold.

• No manufacturing

• No inventory.

• No warehousing.

• No returns.

• Damn near pure profit from a few teensy spritzes of electricity.

 

Yum, yum.

 

Quite Frankly, the Con Job in the Survey Is Some of the Most Brilliant Direct Marketing Copy I have Ever Read!

This is the epoch of the Internet, the "cloud" and vast electronic dossiers amassed by corporate America on all of us. By reading our emails and recording our shopping habits, wealth, legal and financial problems the results are mixed. The upside: terrific offers by savvy direct marketers. The downside: ruinous scams out of China, Russia, Nigeria and computer geeks all over the world.

 

The Shopper's Voice pitch to consumers is fascinating. The entire business model is premised on the fact that most people love to talk about themselves. I remember an old aunt many years ago who—if you asked "how are you?"—would relish telling you for the next half hour.

 

As a result, the Shopper's Voice Survey is amazing—involving, persuasive, reassuring, flattering and irresistible. I took the Survey and was hooked. I was particularly interested in the health questions. Mercifully, I've had good health all my life. I hate health stuff. Plowing through this litany of diseases and disorders in the lives of others made me feel blessed and grateful. It was a positive experience—especially in these depression-causing years of COVID.

 

The messaging is brilliant! Shopper's Voice uses four proven Key Copy Drivers (Emotional Hot Buttons) that persuade prospects to act:
             Flattery - Greed - Exclusivity - Salvation

 


Below Is Some Actual Verbiage Used on the Shopper's Voice Website

("Imagined emotional responses by the consumer are in red.")

  = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Flattery:
"... By sharing your thoughts once a year in our Consumer Product Survey, you play a key role in shaping how your favorite brands, products, and services are developed and improved. By connecting with these companies..." ("I play a key role! I can make a difference!")

 

Greed:
"At Shopper’s Voice, we’re about helping you make the most of your shopping. That’s why we make it so rewarding for you to tell us about the brands, products and services you love most. Complete our survey and you’ll have the opportunity for instant flash savings from your favorite brands – plus coupons, samples and free stuff all year long! Plus, as a Shopper’s Voice member, you’ll get Rewards points simply for opening and clicking on our emails – points that you can convert into gift cards...

"By connecting with these companies, they reward you with free samples, coupons and special offers tailored to you – and Shopper's Voice  rewards you with instant flash savings plus a chance to win in our free survey sweepstakes." ("Free goodies! Wheee!")

 

Exclusivity:
"
Shopper's Voice carefully gathers opinions, preferences and insights from shoppers like you around the country through our online consumer opinion survey."  ("I stand out from the crowd! My opinions are worth something!")

 

Salvation:

At Shopper’s Voice, we’re about helping you make the most of your shopping. That’s why we make it so rewarding for you to tell us about the brands, products and services you love most. Complete our survey and you’ll have the opportunity for instant flash savings from your favorite brands – plus coupons, samples and free stuff all year long! Plus, as a Shopper’s Voice member, you’ll get Rewards points simply for opening and clicking on our emails – points that you can convert into gift cards. ("This is a grand invitation to add meaning to my life, to learn about the world, and receive payments—if not in cash, at least in kind!")

 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

 

I Really Liked the Honesty Throughout.

In addition, Shopper's Voice is dead honest and levels with you. For example, in the health-fitness-illnesses section is the oft-repeated caveat:

 

As a reminder, responses may be used to provide you with

information regarding heath conditions and products that

might be of interest.

 

"If you want to be successful in Direct Marketing, STEAL SMART.

—Dorothy Kerr, Circ Director, U.S. News & World Report

 

As I was taking the Survey—answering seemingly hundreds of questions—it quickly became obvious that I was deep into the mother lode of how to persuade and inspire normally wary customers and prospects to give you a ton of information about themselves and their lives.

 

Suffice it to say Shopper's Voice makes it very difficult to capture the Survey. For example, you must fill out a page, and only then are you allowed to proceed to the next page/section. And it's impossible to download the pages in Word. Remember, this Survey—honed to perfection over 30 years—was (and is) responsible for the creation of a giant list of 20 million names and a cash cow.

 

Takeaways to Consider

Create a Swipe File like I did at WHO'S MAILING WHAT! which—over 30 years—made me the king of junk mail. (Over the years we isolated 1661 direct mail Grand Controls in 200 categories. These were mailed over at least three consecutive years. The Ultimate example: "The most Successful Advertisement in the History of the World." brought in $2 billion during its 27-year lifespan.")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ww8a-8hyio&t=645s

 

• When you get to a new page in the Shopper's Voice Survey, immediately take a picture of it, turning it  into a PNG, jpg or whatever.

 

  When you have a complete file of PNGs, manually retype the questions.

 

• Download and save all Shopper's Voice  promotions, offers, goodies, artwork and emails.

 

• You will have at your fingertips the Shopper's Voice entire business model.

 

• Here's the link to the Shopper's Voice List:

    https://lists.nextmark.com/market?page=order/online/datacard&id=230519

 

• Here's the link to the Shopper's Voice Survey:

   https://www.shoppersvoice.com/sv/v/usa

 

###

 

Word Count: 1640

 




292pp     6" x 9"
Hardcover:     $39.95
Paperback:     $29.95
ebook/Kindle: $19.95

Amazon

 https://www.amazon.com/Method-Marketing-Denison-Hatch/dp/1648372767/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=method+marketing&qid=1681898276&sr=8-9

Barnes & Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/method-marketing-denison-hatch/1100485178?ean=9781648372766

 

At age 15, Denny Hatch—as a lowly apprentice—wrote his first news release for a Connecticut summer theater. To his astonishment it ran verbatim in The Middletown Press. He was instantly hooked on writing. After a two-year stint in the U.S. Army (1958-60), Denny had nine jobs in his first 12 years in business. He was fired from five of them and went on to save two businesses and start three others. One of his businesses—WHO’S MAILING WHAT! newsletter and archive service founded in 1984—revolutionized the science of how to measure the success of competitors’ direct mail. In the past 55 years he has been a book club director, magazine publisher, advertising copywriter/designer, editor, journalist and marketing consultant. He is the author of four published novels and seven books on business and marketing.

CONTACT
dennyhatch@yahoo.com


Note to Readers:  
May I send you an alert when each new blog is posted? If so, kindly give me the okay by send
ing your First Name, Last Name and email to dennyhatch@yahoo.com. I guarantee your personal information will not be shared with anyone at any time for any reason. The blog is a free service. No cost. No risk. No obligation. Cancel any time. I look forward to being in touch!

IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE POSTING A COMMENT… EMAIL ME! I'LL HELP!
Google owns Blogspot.com and this Comment Section. If you do not have a Google account — or if you find it too damn complicated — contact me directly and I will happily post your comment with a note that this is per your permission. Thank you and do keep in touch. dennyhatch@yahoo.com


Invitation to Marketers and Direct Marketers: 
Guest Blog Posts Are Welcome. 
If you have a marketing story to tell, case history, concept to propose or a memoir, give a shout. I’ll get right back to you. I am: dennyhatch@yahoo.com
215-644-9526 (rings on my desk). 

You Are Invited to Join the Discussion.