Behold…
* Trading Places — especially the scene where Mortimer and Randolph Duke are explaining to Eddy Murphy’s character Billy Ray Valentine how their commodities brokerage firm operates, followed by his reply on what business they are actually in.
* It’s A Wonderful Life — the very beginning when Joseph is giving Clarence his assignment to stop George Bailey from committing suicide, and Joseph snaps at him for wanting to try helping him before getting to know George first: “If you’re going to help a man, you want to know something about him, don’t you?” Copywriters more obsessed with copywriting tricks and persuasion choke holds than they are of the customer they are selling to can get a lot out of that scene alone.
* How the Grinch Stole Christmas — not so much lessons, but inspirational ingenuity of how the Grinch pulled off fleecing an entire town and then rebranding himself right afterwards as some kind of savior of Christmas.
* Eyes Wide Shut — A great example of how information doesn’t change, but the people who consume it change, thereby making the information seem almost new and different over time. This movie has a thick new layer of context in today’s Epstein Island and Diddy news cycle compared to 1999 when it came out and how ineptly marketed it was.
* Miracle on 34th Street — You will find a magnificent example of the power of what I call “market-first vs marketing-first” selling when Kris Kringle tells would-be customers they can get certain toys at better deals at the competition. Today’s typical Needy marketer can’t comprehend this. But customers tend to be more likely to trust you, buy from you, recommend you when you make it obvious you’re legitimately on their side, where you can’t possibly be lying to them or trying to lead the astray.
* A Christmas Carol — I wrote about this a couple weeks ago, but the short version is Scrooge was a moron with his being so cheap he’d eat dollar and crap out a penny, takes credit for things he didn’t do, making his long suffering employee miserable ensuring nothing but mediocrity, and thinking he can buy loyalty and forgiveness. Maybe that shtick works in the stories. But not very likely in the real world.
* Cobra — Stallone’s Lt. Marion “Cobra” Cobretti is the epitome of non-Neediness, which is something marketers are plagued with going by the desperation in their content, emails, sales copy, and social media chest-pounding. Plus, he shows the ideal way to cut up and eat pizza…
Those are a few of my own favorites.
Lots of lessons inside if you are looking for them like it is with all entertainment if done right.
All right that’s it for today.
Have a Merry Christmas.
And if you want to treat yourself to an Email Players newsletter subscription go here:
Ben Settle
