Lessons From The American Inventor

I don't know if you caught the American Inventor series that just finished up its first season on TV. It was produced by Simon Cowell of American Idol fame. (Doesn't that just get you saying, "Why didn't I think of that?" The guy took 2 simple ideas for reality TV shows and made multi millions. My hat's off to him.)

Anyway, if you're not already familiar with the premise of the show, they invited American inventors to pitch their inventions, before a panel of four judges (and millions of viewers at home). There were a lot of odd balls and kooks, but some really impressive, intelligent and passionate people as well.

I would sum up the series, thusly:

• A lot of people think of themselves as inventors.
• Some of these people invested their life savings, energy, emotions, indeed their entire identity into what they think everyone in the world would want.
• More often than not, they are the only ones who see value in their inventions.
• There were some truly sad moments when the would-be inventors learn that their life's work has no real market... no real value... or it just wouldn't work.
• There were some comical moments when it seemed that a very large percentage of the inventions were toilet related. (What does that tell you about Americans' priorities?)

However, there were two BIG lessons from the series:

1. Find the market before you develop the product. (Why spend your life's savings and all that time--that you'll never get back--developing a product that nobody would pay $.02 for?)
2. The final four inventors discovered that Madison Avenue can be great at making entertaining commercials (suitable for awards), but don't trust them to sell you product.

In case you missed it, the first two inventors (of four) who were eliminated on the final show relied heavily on the ad agency to come up with their message. The 2nd place winner went with the agency... but using his own idea for the message; while the gentleman who won the $1million grand prize fired the agency altogether and went right to the production company with his own concept.

Go to Madison Avenue, with a big budget, and you can get entertaining commercials. (And maybe even an award.)

But if what you really want is to sell your product, forget about the entertainment, the image, the awards and go straight to measurable, accountable, reliable Direct Response Marketing.

OK. I'll get off my soap box... until next time.

John Gilvary
Direct Response Copywriter


For business growth help, see www.jgilvary.com