"But Wait, There's More"

When I helped launch a direct marketing company called TelAmerica Media in the mid-'90's, it was my first foray into the world of so-called "Short-Form Direct Response TV". To succeed in our new venture, we wanted to work with the most successful writer/directors in the business. The true patriarch of this art form was Arthur Schiff, owner of a company called Direct Response Associates, a legend I was lucky enough to work with, who passed away this summer at age 66.

The guy was not afraid to make us laugh while he sold us some of the wildest gizmos TV had to offer. Yet he basically "wrote the book" on what fundamental sales elements need to be present to get the phone to ring.

Arthur coined the omnipresent catch phrase "But wait, there's more!" If you look at the product shot in a Ginsu knife offer, you learned how powerful "But wait, there's more" can be.

I will miss running into Arthur at trade conventions, and will allows remember him fondly as "one of the good guys" in this business. Below is a note from Arthur's website.

In the spring of 1978, I was asked to write a direct response commercial for a set of knives. At that time in my career, I had written no more than a half dozen DR spots, but I just couldn't get excited about this project.

"They're knives," I stated with no enthusiasm whatsoever. "Every woman in America has at least three kitchen drawers full of them. What's the big deal?"

"But they don't have drawers full of these knives," came the retort. "It's your job to turn them into something special. Make them sing and dance."

I went to sleep that night, still wrestling with the problem. And then it happened! I bolted out of bed at three o'clock in the morning and yelled, "Eureka! I've got it. Ginsu!" I wrote the bizarre word down on a piece of paper and went back to sleep. When I got up again four hours later, the paper was still there and that strange word was still on it. I stuffed it into my shirt pocket and headed off to work.

Within six weeks, "Ginsu" was a household name throughout the country, and I was pretty much established in my lifelong career. By giving that set of knives a Japanese identity, I somehow managed to convince people that no matter how many knives they already owned, these were something special. Of course, I neglected to mention that the knives were manufactured in Fremont, Ohio.

Times change, products change. Audiences have become more sophisticated and the science of marketing has grown tremendously. Yet, there is a timeless art in creating winners that demands a certain mix of creativity, intelligence and marketing savvy.

Since those early years, I've written and produced over 1500 direct response commercials, most of them through my own company, Direct Response Associates. I've surrounded myself with some of the best DR production people in the industry, and have most of the major direct response TV marketers as clients.

So what can we do for you? We can help you market your product by looking beyond the obvious. By finding the unique approach that makes it stand out. By never forgetting that hidden somewhere in that product may be another Ginsu Knife. We call it The Art of Creating Winners(SM) and we'd like to create one for you.

Arthur Schiff, Direct Response Associates

World Peace Starts Between Your Ears

People who struggle with weight are in hell, a constant battle. The urge to enjoy a deep bite into a cheesey piece of pizza or a late night bowl of ice cream is a missile fired at the ego.

The next morning, staring at the in the mirror, the ego fires a missile back at that desire for instant gratification. So you decide to work it off. Later that day, you're exhausted, and the last thing you feel like doing is working out. So you launch a brigade of promises back at the ego that you will start "soon" with the exercise program. Then with that defense in place, you see the ice cream container, and reach for it, knowing you made a promise to the ego that you would start "soon".

Two weeks go by. The ego gangs up with a lack of energy to criticize the lifestyle. So maybe you do a little workout. The next morning you look in the mirror and still see the gut from the last couple weeks of eating, and the amount of work it will take to lose the gut seems like a huge commitment of hard work - too huge. You promise the ego that, instead of a big workout program, you will walk every night. Meanwhile the kids didn't finish their mac and cheese and in order to "feel" like they ate an entire dinner, you take the last few bites. The hell of the battle rages on in your mind. "What are you doing?" You ask yourself. It's impossible to understand. But the cookie jar is full, and they will go stale if they aren't eaten. So you eat them.

This is why I am never above the plight of the Beachbody customer, because that is the same hell that is between my own ears. Plus there's the added pain of being CEO of a fitness company, and the pressure to "live right" gets even more intense. (I've even found myself managing my exposure to our trainers when I am feeling extra out of it.)

So if this is familiar, you are not alone. I am in it too. We both have our own little unresolved battle within our minds. Self-loathing, unforgiveness, guilt, shame, anger and a yearning for gratification in a world that is loaded with pressure, judgment, and relentless expectations.

We expect the war in Iraq to be resolved by politicians and a polarized group of native citizens with various agenda and beliefs while we alone can barely control the war in our very own minds. As trivial as it seems, I think it's all related. If you can't find a way to foster "PEACE" in your mind about this issue, or that grievance against yourself, how can we expect entire peoples to quickly snap into a new mindset? Patience is key. Patience and intent, real commitment. Intent means, we need to get our own houses in order -- the house between our ears, where the primary battle ensues. And that is a constant process of listening to your own thoughts, exploring you unconscious choices, and the real discomfort that lies just behind the self-defeating choices you may be making.

Next time you seek that giant piece of cake, think of it as an end to a cease fire. When you are reaching for the fourth slice of pizza, consider how you are disrupting the potential for your own peace of mind. And then reconsider it.

I am not advocating a diet where you can't enjoy the foods you love. I am saying, we need to be careful with a little self-indulgence can upset the situation. Stay in control. Have an agreement with yourself. Keep the agreement. Maintain the peace of mind.

And maybe then we might have an easier time maintaining the peace with the neighbor who hasn't returned your grill since July 4th, and so on.

Where does peace start? Between your ears.

That is how I am approaching the process of lifestyle in my mind these days. Let me know if that's helpful to you in any way.

POW! They're Baaaack!

By popular demand, for anyone who wants a little extra "pow" in each Turbo Jam punch, we just put back up the weighted hand gloves for sale at Beachbody.com.





And for anyone who missed it (like, the three people in the world who didn't actually attend her Turbo Kick camp), the reviews are in and Bret and Chalene hit the ball out of the park as it relates to throwing an awesome event. Something like 150 Turbo Jam grads signed up to become Turbo Kick instructors. I pitty the fool who tries to take on these fit Turbo Junkies.

The Amazing Flying Jonathan

A couple weeks ago we hired Dane Sanders, Power 90 grad and professional photographer to take some photos of our company party as well as Tony's LA fitness camp.

We found Dane when he sent me a link to a site where he was encouraging wedding photographers across the country to get in shape and track their progress along with him.


Both events were great, as were the photos. In particular, this one of Jonathan Gelfand, general counsel of Product Partners. Jonathan started with us just recently, and was an instant/perfect fit with the culture of the company. He has a great sense of humor, and clearly great form of superman banana. We call this one "Come on, come to Daddy, Sophie. Closer. Closer."

Helping Kids, circus-style

A few months ago I was contacted by Scott Fifer, one of the first-ever P90X success stories, who had just returned from a soul-searching mission to Africa. He spent a while there helping at an orphanage, and came back a changed man, a Hollywood writer on a new mission: To help raise money in order to build these kids a proper facility, so the orphanage doesn't just house these kids, it cultivates them.

But this no common cultivation, these kids gain confidence and learn that they are entitled to love and respect just like the rest of us, through personal achievement in acrobatics.

Scott was calling me to ask if Beachbody wanted to get involved in helping the kids organize a tour through the US. Stop one would be to Los Angeles where they would perform at area schools in special events for big shots with fat wallets. Stop two would be Las Vegas where the kids will get to learn from the superstars of acrobatic performance, Cirque du Soleil. Stop three would include a few talk shows, and perhaps a trip to New York before their return home. It took all of a minute for him to convince me to commit some money and resources to his venture. Soon after Power 90's Tony Horton held a fundraiser at his house. More commitments of support followed.

Thanks to the Beachbody design team, the bright red Tunahaki t-shirts are designed, the seed money is in the bank, the logo is being plastered all over their tour van, and miraculously Scott succeeded in getting all twelve kids visas. for their November trip.

Then the other day I am sitting in a meeting with Kathy Smith, discussing the latest in Project: YOU land, including some interesting progress about Kathy visiting companies to motivate people in corporate wellness programs. In the midst of the conversation, Kathy starts talking about her recent climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, a volcano in Tanzania. The climb itself is an enormous feat. Then making a small world seem smaller, it turns out that immediately prior to her ascent, Kathy and her team were entertained by a troupe of children who perform acrobatics in order to support a nearby orphanage... the kids of Tunahaki!

It appears Beachbody was meant to participate, not just at the corporate level, but its success stories, vendors, experts, and even community are jumping in.

Look for WOWY events and other announcements as we track the progress. And look forward to a full length documentary produced by P90X director Mason Bendewald. See what I mean? We're into this from all angles... now all we need is you!

Click here if you want to learn more about what Scott is doing, especially if you have the means to join Beachbody in support of this very worthwhile cause!

Click here to donate now!

This just in from Scott:
There are actually 9 kids (plus one adult) coming from Africa, (and 2 American chaperones, hence the need for 12 people in a van). And they are also going to San Francisco to study circus arts during their trip here.

What else might you want to know….? I am planning on bringing them to the beach their first morning in the U.S. to join Tony & I for his infamous ‘Sunday Workout’… Disney has invited them to see The Lion King stage show which will be in Hollywood at the same time they are here (set in their homeland, uses Swahili – “Hakuna Matata” – it will be the kids’ first live theatre experience)… and we are making a point not just to perform for fat cats, but also at schools in South Central, LA, and at a shelter for homeless teens in Las Vegas.

Also, they practice their exercises every day - in sweltering heat, with no running water, no plumbing, no refrigerator or stove to keep or cook food – yet they work at it every day. So it seems to me that if they can do it in those conditions, anybody can. Maybe Traci can use that to motivate people when she promotes WOWY.

I still can’t get over the Kathy Smith connection. That really is something.

Click here to help these kids now!

The power of T Morrow

If you're a member of the MyBeachbody community, you may have seen the new icons promoting the fact that Traci Morrow is now the "host" of the site. (seen here with another Beachbody success story, her husband KC)

She's our own Julie McCoy, tasked with helping newbies and veterans get the most from the feature-rich weight loss and motivation club. Specifically, Traci will help members navigate MyBeachbody, introducing the unique tools available to maximize results. She will also organize challenges for members to keep everyone motivated.

Traci will select Success Stories to inspire and challenge us to overcome obstacles. She has her own Message Board thread and is active on the other MyBeachbody boards, answering questions and helping members interact, while gathering feedback from the community to help us continually improve the site.

She has a chat today at 5PM PT in the VIP chatroom, where I am sure the topic will be the Tony Horton Fitness camp in LA this weekend which Traci also helped organize and host.

Traci is an absolutely terrific person, and truly cares about everything she does and everyone she comes into contact with. We are lucky to have her on our team, and as a community, she will help motivate us all to get the best results possible!

Malibu Beach Party!

Today was the second (sort of) annual Malibu Beach Party for the Beachbody team plus the early arrivals to Tony's Fitness Camp this weekend.

Before more photos, and I'm sorry I don't have a lot more, let me say that this year it was Shawn T (with me here) who stole the show with the reveal of his "Hip Hop Hustle", a dance that he created as part of a new fitness program we're developing for release later this year. Danny from operations won the grand prize for his showmanship as virtually the entire company got jiggy on the sand. (Special thanks to my exec assistant Philippa, one of the judges, who left me in the running up until the very end so I could demonstrate my not-so-subtle lack of coordination as long as possible.)




Lara and Heather from the production team and a little Tony.
Natasha (who is our very own success story having lost 60 pounds!), Ken (the runner up in the Hip Hop Hustle) and me.

And below, the Tony Horton faithful, (plus Debbie Siebers and Beachbody guide Traci Morrow) discussing how the customers are going to "bring it" at the camp starting this evening!



Notable is customer Michael Kucko in the blue shirt looking toward Sarah in the second photo of this set) (Akron in MyBeachbody) who looks great, and who deserves a special note as one of our first 100 pound weight loss success stories, and who has managed to cope with the ups and downs of weight maintenance with poise and determination to never let it get out of control! Nice work Michael!