March 18, 2002
Blog Entry

Scoff! Why Jupiter's Results are Meaningless

SUMMARY: No summary available.
Most of you have probably heard the "bad" news released by Jupiter today that "almost three quarters of online adults (70 percent) cannot understand why anyone would pay for content online." Am I remotely alarmed by this? No.

Partly it's because the "expert" analysts' forecasts don't always turn out to be true, especially where the Net is concerned.
Partly it's because I've been in this business of selling subscriptions since the mid-80s and I know if you poll people and ask "Will you pay for a subscription?" they will usually say "No." But if you offer them something that can help them get a better job, beat their competitors, or have a gorgeous garden easily ....they will often enough say "Yes!"

It's about the offer, and the way the offer is expressed. I've tested the same subscription offer to the same list, only expressed using slightly different language, and gotten very different results. Now you're telling me one Jupiter poll, written by someone who assuredly is not a subscription marketing copywriter, reveals the answer? Yeah. Makes for a few news headlines. Doesn't affect subscription sellers' jobs a bit.

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