The Sophistication Of Your Market

Of course. Before you write a single word of your ad or newsletter, you need to ask yourself one crucial question: "How many similar products have my customers already heard about?". The answer determines the sophistication of your market, and it changes everything about how you should approach them.

From the previous article: The 5 States of Your Subscriber's Awareness, this market sophistication state would apply to your subscribers who are "The Most Aware", "The Product-Aware" and "The Solution-Aware".

Think of it as a series of stages your market goes through. Here’s how you can figure out what stage your market is in and what your strategy should be for each one.

Stage 1: When You're the First in Your Market

If you're the very first person to bring a certain type of product to your market, your prospects aren't sophisticated about it at all. This is the easiest stage.

• Your Strategy: Be simple and direct. Your headline should state the need or the claim, and that's it. For example, the first person to sell a weight-loss product only had to say something like, "NOW! LOSE UGLY FAT!". Another example from a different industry is a simple, desire-focused claim like, "I'D WALK A MILE FOR A CAMEL!".

Stage 2: When You're Second and Claims Are Working

Once you have competitors, your market enters the second stage. The direct claim is still effective, but just repeating it isn't enough.

• Your Strategy: You need to copy the successful claim but enlarge on it and drive it to the absolute limit.

  
  

  • Example 1: If a competitor promises weight loss, you have to promise more, like "LOSE UP TO 47 POUNDS IN 4 WEEKS—OR RECEIVE $40 BACK!".

    
    

  • Example 2: In the gardening world, if a competitor's ad for a rose plant is successful, you might counter with an ad for a mum that promises "SIX HUNDRED MUMS FROM A SINGLE BUSH!".

    
    

  • Example 3: To push it even further, you could escalate the claim to what seems like the absolute limit of nature: "WHO EVER HEARD OF 17,000 BLOOMS FROM A SINGLE PLANT?".

Stage 3: When the Market is Tired of Claims

After a while, your prospects have heard all the claims and all the exaggerations. They become skeptical, and the old promises stop working.

• Your Strategy: At this stage, you must shift the focus from what your product does to how it works. You need to introduce a new mechanism—a fresh way of making the old promise believable again.

  
  

  • Example 1: Instead of just promising weight loss, your headline becomes, "FLOATS FAT RIGHT OUT OF YOUR BODY!".

    
    

  • Example 2: You could also introduce a scientific-sounding mechanism, like "FIRST WONDER DRUG FOR REDUCING!".

    
    

  • Example 3: A classic example of a new mechanism was the headline, "LUCKIES—THEY'RE TOASTED!". It gave a unique reason how the cigarettes were better.

Stage 4: When Competitors Copy Your Mechanism

If your new mechanism is successful, your competitors will start using it too. Now, the market is getting hit with ads that all talk about how their products work.

• Your Strategy: Your next move is to elaborate on or enlarge the successful mechanism. Make your mechanism seem easier, quicker, or surer.

  
  

  • Example 1: You might go from "WONDER DRUG FOR REDUCING!" to the more advanced "FIRST NO-DIET REDUCING WONDER DRUG!".

    
    

  • Example 2: For cigarettes, this meant going from a simple filter to something more elaborate, like "TAREYTON—DUAL FILTER FOR DOUBLE THE PLEASURE!".

    
    

  • Example 3: Another tactic is to add authority to the mechanism, like the headline, "NINE OUT OF TEN DOCTORS PREFER LUCKIES!".

Stage 5: When the Market Is Completely Exhausted

Eventually, the market grows tired of all the promises and all the mechanisms. They no longer believe the advertising, and the field is considered "dead".

• Your Strategy: You can't lead with promises or mechanisms anymore. The emphasis must shift away from the product and toward identification with the prospect himself.

  
  

  • Example 1: An ad revived a "dead" product with the headline, "WHY MEN CRACK..."—it spoke directly to the reader's identity and fears, not to a product feature.

    
    

  • Example 2: To open up a new market for cigarettes among women, a famous ad didn't talk about taste or features. It showed a romantic scene and used the identification-based headline: "BLOW SOME MY WAY.".

    
    

  • Example 3: The Marlboro "Virile Men" ads are a perfect example of using strong visual identification—projecting an image of virility—instead of a headline claim to reach an exhausted market.

How to Apply This to Your Newsletter Drip Campaigns

You can use these same stages to structure your email drip campaigns, guiding your new subscribers from being unaware to becoming loyal customers.

• Early Emails (Stages 1 & 2: The Simple Promise): When subscribers first join your list, treat them as if your solution is new to them. Your first email can be direct. Use a subject line with a strong, simple promise. The body of the email should elaborate on that promise, just like a Stage 1 or Stage 2 ad.

  
  

  • Example Subject: "A new way to get fit in just 10 minutes a day"

  
  

• Mid-Campaign Emails (Stage 3: Introduce Your 'How'): After a few emails, your subscribers are more sophisticated. They've heard your promises. Now you need to show them how you deliver. This is where you introduce your unique mechanism. Dedicate a newsletter to explaining the unique process, technology, or "secret ingredient" that makes your product different.

  
  

  • Example Subject: "The AI science that makes our workouts different"

    
    

• Later Emails (Stages 4 & 5: Prove Superiority & Build Identity): If you're in a crowded market, your later emails need to go even deeper.

  
  

  • For Stage 4 (Enlarge the Mechanism): Send an email that directly compares your mechanism to competitors, showing why yours is easier, faster, or more effective. Use charts, data, or testimonials to prove it.

    
    

    • Example Subject: "Why 10 minutes with us is better than 30 at the gym"

      
      

  • For Stage 5 (Identification): Shift from features to feelings. Tell a story. Share a detailed case study of a customer your subscriber can identify with. Your email is no longer about selling a product; it's about selling a transformation and an identity.

    
    

    • Example Subject: "How Sarah, a busy mom, finally reclaimed her health"

      
      

By structuring your drip campaign this way, you match your message to your subscriber's evolving level of sophistication, building trust and desire step by step.