I?ve got The Secret.
No, not that Secret. The secret behind The Secret.
Confused? Let me clear it up.
“The Secret” isn?t a deodorant. It?s a way of looking at the world where to have all of your wishes come true, all you have to do is focus on what you really want.
“This is the great secret of life,” the video trailer proclaims. The announcer tells viewers “you can have everything you want” from health to wealth to love.
It?s an international phenomenon including a documentary The New York Times describes as “the biggest thing to hit the New Age movement since the Harmonic Convergence.”
The Times describes the secret of “The Secret” as “the universe will make your wishes come true if only you really, truly believe in them.” It?s sort of like “National Treasure” for the soul-searching set. Or Tinkerbell for adults. All you have to do is believe.
Rhonda Byrne, the brains behind this marketing tidal wave, didn?t even buy ads and still sold 1.5 million copies of a $34.95 DVD. That?s $54 million.
Then there?s the book, spin-offs, sequels, TV appearances and more. The list is endless.
Byrnes? real secret is that she had an idea, an original idea. And she believed enough to make it happen.
That sounds simple, but it?s not.
In a free society where government doesn?t tell us what to buy or use or make, this kind of creative adventure is common. So much so that we take it for granted.
We?ve had pet rocks, mood rings, self-help books and enough Ronco products to fill every household ? even the George Foreman Grill.
Call them kitsch, novelties, junk or junque. Somebody?s made money off them. Lots of money. Creators, inventors, manufacturers and marketers. Even if you hate their products, they are laughing all the way to the bank.
Then there?s the truly creative trends that even outdo “The Secret” ? “Harry Potter,” Sudoku, “The Far Side,” “Star Trek.” They have inspired imitation and developed legions of fans for either a short time, or perhaps forever. “Star Trek” has assimilated international devotees. There are two documentaries just about its fans.
And every idea has become a marketing machine. Humans revel in their interests. If we like a sports team, we wear its jersey, hat and T-shirt.
If we love a movie, we buy its posters, books, stills and DVDs.
Gone are the days when an item stood alone. Now smart business people make extra money or reinvigorate older product lines with new ideas. Monopoly partners with McDonald?s. Etch A Sketch hits a whole new generation attached to key rings.
And, of course, all these successful products have Web sites, video, audio, blogs and everything else the Internet demands. Businesses need to be current.
Sit there and think for a few minutes. Do you have an idea that might just catch fire? You might be your own secret agent and spy a mega-million-dollar future.
Just remember where you learned “The Secret.”
Dan Gainor is The Boone Pickens Free Market Fellow at the Media Research Center?s Business & Media Institute, a career journalist and media commentator. He can be reached at [email protected].
