"This business has legs": How I Used Infomercial Marketing to Create the$100,000,000 ThighMaster Craze [Paperback]

Peter Bieler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 1996

"Only in America could a would-be monk convince a faded television star to pitch a rehabilitation device designed for Scandinavian skiers and create a nationwide sensation. The marketing strategy alone is worth the price of admission."
--Paul B. Brown Special Correspondent for the Business News Network (BNN) and coauthor of Customers for Life

"This is the first time the person behind a fad lays out the whole marketing strategy he used. Even I learned a lot."
--Bob Rice Pet Rock Promoter

"Within a matter of months, Peter Bieler created a $100,000,000 industry out of nothing. This fascinating book chronicles step-by-step how he did it."
--Steve Dworman Publisher, Infomercial Marketing Report

"As a jack, in an emergency, if you have a very small car ... As a rack to dry homemade pasta ... Prop it on its side and presto! Twin picture frames ... Have it bronzed and claim it's a very early Henry Moore ..."
--Diane White columnist for The Boston Globe on alternate uses for the ThighMaster See Inside for Exciting Contest Details!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The inside story of how Bieler started with no money, no product, and no experience, and somehow created a $100 million business selling the "Thighmaster" through infomercials. Far more entertaining and fun than any infomercial, and, in many ways, a mind-boggling book about how new industries are created in this modern world. Recommended.

From Publishers Weekly

The conventional wisdom used to be that a company needed at least $200 million in sales to afford a national TV ad campaign. Not anymore, claims Bieler, as he tells how he used TV infomercials to market an exercise machine and hit the jackpot with a relatively small cash outlay. He had this going for him: a hot product, Suzanne Somers to demonstrate it and business savvy. Although the sponsor shells out for the initial air time, which can be a half-hour or more, the money starts rolling as soon as customers begin phoning in orders. The program then becomes self-sustaining and continues to air until the product wins enough consumer acceptance to be sold in stores. This book is a good read, written in a breezy, offbeat style. Bieler describes himself as a monkish type who likes to meditate. He's also a practical guy who knows how to make a buck. Costas is an editor at Bloomberg Personal. First serial to Success magazine.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 206 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (May 28, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471147494
• ISBN-13: 978-0471147497
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #476,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must have" for any budding entrepreneur!, June 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: "This business has legs": How I Used Infomercial Marketing to Create the$100,000,000 ThighMaster Craze (Paperback)

Peter Biehler has written not only a sensational book about infomercials, he has unwittingly written an entertaining and profound book on motivation and persevering to attain one's goals. He provides an indepth understanding of the key components of how to put together an infomerical and succeed. It was more like reading an engrossing novel than the uusal dreary business books.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, but left some questions, February 2, 2009

By 

Shane R. Wicklund "shane wicklund" (st. louis, mo) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: "This business has legs": How I Used Infomercial Marketing to Create the$100,000,000 ThighMaster Craze (Paperback)

Overall the book is pretty informative and interesting, although it did leave some questions in my head:

1. The cover says "$100,000,000 craze" but he never actually goes into how much money he walked away with in profit after it was all said and done. I was really looking forward to getting detailed numbers on how much he spent and how much he made total but never got it.

2. Also, Im still kind of confused about why he left the company and what stage the business was in when he left. Were they still running infomercials? Were they still breaking even on them to support retail sales?

3. He said the company went bankrupt after he left and he doesn't know why. I would think he would have some kind of an idea of why, was the product/fad cycle just over? Or does he think it was being managed poorly?

Good read, I recommend it to anyone interested in marketing, particularly direct-response and infomercials.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars helpful book, October 23, 2009

By 

Mom Lou "Louise" (Windham, NH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: "This business has legs": How I Used Infomercial Marketing to Create the$100,000,000 ThighMaster Craze (Paperback)

Even though the book is somewhat dated, it gives great insight as to the length and price it takes to get a product to market. It also explains how the system works. I wish I had read the book before I had my product made. I probably wouldn't have a warehouse full of pieces I can't sell. Very much worth reading if you're thinking of going it alone.