What Frank Kern Can Teach You About Branding
Frank Kern is an internet marketer, and it seems like everyone’s talking about him these days. They’re all hopping on the crazy bandwagon and telling you how well Frank’s techniques work to create desire, build trust and make money.
They’re right. Frank Kern uses some psychological tactics that make him a pretty formidable contender on the scene. His videos are worth paying attention to.
Something else about Frank is worth paying attention to as well. Stay tuned…
Frank is nothing special to look at. You wouldn’t be able to pick him out of a crowd of a thousand people. His hair is beach-bum blond, it skims his shoulders and it needs some TLC. Seriously.
He wears scruffy jeans and a t-shirt, and his videos are shot here and there – nowhere really interesting. One of them shows off his garage, glimpses of a beat-up van and scratched surfboards. He talks to the camera while seated on a cheap lawn chair, his cool shades reflecting the sun as he tucks a strand of hair behind his ear.
Frank doesn’t play up a fancy office. He doesn’t have a sleek website, and he doesn’t look rich, despite reported sales of more than $23 million in 24 hours.
So how does he do it? Frank looks genuine. He’s real. He’s just a guy.
People love Frank for that. They absolutely adore him because he’s just like them – a regular person, no one special. He’s not sporting fancy college degrees or talking down to people. He’s a buddy in a bar, a pal to play with.
What is special about Frank is that when he releases a new info-product on the market, people buy – often to the tune of $2,000 or more.
Regular people buy Frank’s stuff. Everyday people. People who don’t really have that kind of money to spare. They’re not rich people or highly educated people. They’re people that you’d meet on the street who believe that Frank has knowledge that can help them.
And he can. No one questions whether Frank knows his stuff. He obviously does, and he exudes the right level of confidence every single minute. He’s successful, he’s smart, and he teaches people ways to get what they want by influencing consumers.
How does Frank reach people? What makes Frank stand out? He was Joe Anybody. Now he’s a millionaire teaching people persuasive techniques – and applying those techniques to prove they work and to make himself rich.
Frank Kern has a serious brand image working hard for him.
Everything that he does is geared to making sure that people can relate to him easily. He’s their buddy. They can trust him. The shades, the lawn chair, the straggly hair and jeans… it’s all an image to help convey a message to people and ultimately, win them over.
Imagine if Frank had gone the other way. Picture Frank with different brand image: a haircut, a clean, expensive suit, a modern office, and framed diplomas hanging from the wall. There’s a Mac on his oak desk, the chairs for his guests are Italian leather, and a meticulously-groomed assistant brings coffee.
What do you think the impact on his target audience would be? What would be the effect on his personal success? Would he still have such a huge following? Would he still be able to get everyday people to plunk down $2,000 for an info product? Would he still be a buddy?
Frank’s brand image is visible in everything he does, every bit of exposure and communication he has with the world. From photo shoots to videos to website colors to email contact, the relaxed ‘everyday guy’ image permeates his whole image.
Even his opt-in autoresponders sound laid-back and cool. And they work.
Think hard for a second about Frank’s branding. Your homework? Give us three words that you associate with Frank’s brand image. If you like Frank, tell us what attracts you to that image. And if you hate Frank Kern? You can tell us that too.
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Andy,
Yes.
Kelly´s last blog post…Where Are You Sitting?
@ Andy – People don’t need manipulation.
But they do need certain psychological aspects to feel comfortable. Every single influential action you take with any person in your life, be it your spouse, partner, kids, client, provider and more, uses the same psychological aspects that marketing and salespeople use.
So to refute sales and marketing strategies is to refute human psychology, instinct, need and emotion and is also to put every single action we make with people questionable.
And that is more scary to me than sales and marketing.
My three words?
FTC
fraud
judgment
His brand was too self-conscious. It tipped me off right away. So I went Googling, and found this: http://www.welcometowallyworld.com/frank-kern-mass-control-or-mas/
But was that all true, or sour grapes from a less-successful rival? So then I found this: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/11/dojsweep.shtm
That’s the official FTC site, which says in part: “The stipulated final judgment and order with Instant Internet Empires and Irwin F. Kern, IV, also known as Frank Kern, bars them from making false or misleading income claims, from participating in chain marketing schemes, and from providing others with the means and instrumentalities to violate federal laws.”
He was selling a pyramid scheme. And I haven’t seen much from Mass Control to suggest it’s much more than the same. But it’s all so very meta. “Buy this program and you will learn how to sell, and don’t worry if you don’t have anything to sell, you can sell this program.”
I don’t doubt you can learn a lot about selling from watching this guy. I’m watching all the free stuff myself. But the brand comes off as huckster. The ratty jeans and long hair are just as much a costume as the Armani suit. Just targeting a different audience.
Drew Kime´s last blog post…World Domination!
@ Drew – And that’s the point of my post – brand. It’s a costume you put on, just like an Armani suit. Yessir.
And there’s something to be learned from that.
@ James – The thing about the costume is that it doesn’t show who the marketer *is*. It shows who the marketer is trying to *reach*. I think that’s why he turned me off so much. “Hey, lookit me. I’m just a regular Joe, just like you.” Except he didn’t *sound* like a regular Joe at all.
Oh, and brand issues aside, the biggest warning flag for me was that he wouldn’t state the price. In my experience, the longer a salesman puts off mentioning the price the more outrageous it will be. And no, I don’t mean just *high* price, I mean out of line with the true value.
$20,000 for a new car probably isn’t outrageous. $20,000 for a home gym might be.
He’s definitely up front about what he’s doing. Build desire first, then let people sell themselves that it’s worth the money. Like he says, there’s three reasons not to buy: they don’t want it, they can’t afford it, they don’t believe it. But if you make them want it enough, they’ll *find* a way to afford it.
That’s why his style grates on me. He’s intentionally targeting “average people,” people who probably don’t have a spare $2,000 burning a hole in their pockets. And he’s counting on hooking the (historically significant) proportion of them who will let their desire override their reason.
Eh, going off on a tangent again. But just to clarify something I mentioned to Naomi when I emailed her about her comment above, I’m not saying marketing itself is sleazy or unethical. I’m saying that Frank Kern strikes me as sleazy and unethical. *And* incredibly good at what he does.
Drew Kime´s last blog post…World Domination!
I have some experience with Frank Kern’s products. I signed up for a trial for his Mass Control Monthly product last year and was impressed by the quality and information contained in the bonuses he sent. That being said, I didn’t think the newsletter itself was worth the $800/month he was asking. When I canceled my subscription, I was told the next month’s letter had been sent early by mistake, but I could keep it at no charge. There was no hassle or hard sales pitch to keep me as a subscriber, so I have to give him that.
Something Frank is a master at is using the persona he has created in all his marketing and actual products. Whether that is who he truly is or not doesn’t matter. It’s a character that works for him and his prospects can bond with. He has become a recognizable character. People know he likes to surf (and isn’t very good), that he’s a successful copywriter and Internet marketer, that he is a family man, and that he loves being something of a beach bum. Those are all elements of his character that allow him to stay in touch with his customers and prospects and keep them engaged.
Great marketers are able to create and use those characters. Someone earlier mentioned Dan Kennedy, one of the great direct response marketers and teachers out there. And while I’ve bought several of Kennedy’s products, the one I’d recommend to learn more about using personality in your marketing to replicate the kind of success people like Dan, Frank Kern, Yanik Silver, and Naomi have is called “Personality in Copy”. It’s available at gkicwebstore.com and is one of the more affordable products they offer. Definitely worth the money.
Joe´s last blog post…My Number One Piece of Career & Business Advice
@Joe:
When I canceled my subscription, I was told the next month’s letter had been sent early by mistake, but I could keep it at no charge. There was no hassle or hard sales pitch to keep me as a subscriber, so I have to give him that.
Why not just say: “Sorry to hear you’re going, but because you’ve been a customer, have the next month’s letter anyway”? Why pretend that it got sent by mistake. That’s just crap and makes me believe that everything else is crap, even the stuff of value.
If I can’t trust him to tell the truth about the little things, how can I trust the big?
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post…Does procrastination arouse you?
@ Alex – Ahh, but how do you KNOW that it wasn’t a mistake? How do you KNOW that it was a strategic move?
“Oh come on, James, of course it was…”
Yes. I used to think like that, assuming everything because I KNEW. (I’m omniscient, right?) And the result is that I put a lot of words in people’s mouths, got upset with them about things they never had the intention of doing and judged actions they didn’t mean to take.
Unless you KNOW the truth and reality, you can’t say it wasn’t a mistake.
(Playing devil’s advocate, but the point is very valid.)
Here’s another example:
A man’s late coming home from work, and he’s already upset and stressed over what he KNOWS his wife is going to say – even though she hasn’t said it yet.
He gets home, and he’s already defensive, ready for the fight he KNOWS is coming.
She says, “Wow, they kept you late tonight, eh?”
He says, “WHY DO YOU ALWAYS ACT LIKE THAT? I KNOW YOU’RE UPSET. WHY DON’T YOU JUST COME OUT AND SAY IT? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SNEAKY LIKE THAT?”
The wife, totally taken aback, reacts as she should – protectively and defensively. “WELL! IF THAT’S HOW YOU’RE GOING TO BE, YOU UNGRATEFUL ASS, HERE’S YOUR GODDAMNED SUPPER. YOU MUST LOVE YOUR JOB MORE THAN ME AND THE KIDS!”
A year later, they’re divorced. Why?
Because he created a reality that didn’t exist and was never meant to exist, because he assumed.
Did Amway start dressing down their distributors? I swear, he sounds just like this Amway guy who sat at my kitchen table…..
People are believing that any idiot who orders the course can get TWO GRAND back in 4 days? WOW, that’s good.
Jamie Simmerman´s last blog post…A New Perspective
@James
After I’d hit submit, I thought of that… I’d like to know if the same thing happens to everyone who quits the monthly newsletter…
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post…Does procrastination arouse you?
I don’t *know* that Seth was talking about Mass Control here, but it sure sounds familiar, doesn’t it? http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/02/get-rich-quick.html
Drew Kime´s last blog post…World Domination!
@Alex
The other thing to keep in mind with a newsletter is that the incremental cost of production is so low (and profit margin so high), there’s no reason not to create good will by letting you keep an issue.
Sending the newsletter early certainly may have been a psychological tactic to make me feel obligated to keep my subscription, but I guess I didn’t see it that way at the time.
I am the biggest cynic, and after reading half of the comments here, I expected to just hate this guy. But I didn’t/don’t! He is a very good salesman. I’m ready to buy! But can’t afford it. I have no idea whether the product delivers. It’d be fun to find out. I am an artist and just learning how to market and he had me convinced that I would make money no matter what my product is. Just goes to show that the art of salesmanship is alive and well. Yeah, all you jaded, experienced marketers can make fun of me but if he can make me believe, then he is pretty good.
The only thing incongruent was that his marketing graphics didn’t match him— the laid back, Mac not PC, image he projects. The Presidential-like seal on the products is cheesy. I’d rather have seen something innovative if his product is innovative. That was the pitfall for me. It was as if he was selling someone else’s product. An official seal? Cheesy. But he was cute.
Diana´s last blog post…Wanna hear something really scary?
Regardless of whether or not you like the tactics, the fact that this guy can generate an onslaught of comments like this shows that he is worth talking about. You can complain all you want, but this guy is successful, incredibly successful, and if he is doing something shady you can bet that with his level of success that he will get outed for it (if that’s the case).
Likely he is far more successful than those who are criticizing him.
After scanning through this entire thread of comments and post match wrap ups the whole thing seems a bit pointless really. The guy did millions on that launch.
Lance´s last blog post…Ten Free Utilities for Video Editing Computers
@ Lance – Yes, yes he did, which just goes to show that what we say and what we do are often two different things.
Does anyone who is complaining about Frank Kern, or associating him with unscrupulous behaviour, have any proof whatsoever to back this up? Any? Can you give me anything at all?
Or…is it more that you have hoisted him up as an example of behaviour that you don’t like (and that none of us like, right) and you’re all hot and bothered about the behaviour – and this is what is driving this discussion.
Because if this is actually about Frank, and not just about bad behaviour, then it would mean that you DO have evidence that Frank Kern is unscrupulous. It would mean that you DO have evidence that he is ripping people off. It would mean that you DO have evidence that his information is bogus and will result in bad things happening to people.
If you don’t have that type of evidence, but you are associating Frank with the bad behaviour that none of us like, then you are engaging in a bit of sophistry.
I think we all agree that we don’t like rip-offs. We don’t like scammers. There’d be no debate about that.
What we don’t seem to agree on is whether or not Frank Kern’s approach is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ – and this wont get sorted out here because everyone here brings their own bias with them – and for some, Frank was always going to be a ‘bad guy’ – even before the video was watched.
So, what is my bias? I bought his course. I enjoyed it. I learned from it. And I compared it to the ‘internet marketing content’ of a friend of mine who’s just finished a marketing degree – and he learnt more about online business from what I was able to share with him, than the other way ’round.
Now ain’t that weird.
All the best,
Nic Lucas´s last blog post…How to find out where you should start online
Nic, look for my first comment on this for the evidence.
But that’s in the past, how about present behavior? I assume you’re on his list, so you just got the pitch for Butterfly Marketing, right? Another $2000 marketing system. “Buy this system, follow the steps, and you’ll make your money back in 48 hours … Don’t worry if you don’t have any content to sell, it’s all included here … I’ll show you where to get material for your subscription site for free.”
There is *no way* that system can possible work for most of the people who buy it. The point of the system is to teach you how to sell the system.
Are there also good persuasion techniques, that could apply to selling other products? Sure, no question. I’m not saying these techniques aren’t effective. But most of these sales pitches say not to worry if you don’t have anything to sell, we’ll show you where to get it.
If you check the classifieds in the back of local free newspapers, you’ll see ads like, “Send $19.95 for a free report showing you how to make money through newspaper advertising.” You order the report, and it tells you to put an ad in the paper selling reports for $19.95. Sell two copies of the report and you’ve made back your money for the report and the ad. But you can’t place the ad in the same paper where you saw it, the guy you bought from already has *his* ad there. Sound a little bit like Butterfly Marketing to you? It does to me.
At the end of the day, there has to be something of inherent value that people are buying. If the marketing system tells you to sell a marketing system showing other people how to sell the marketing system to yet more people who want a marketing system … eventually everyone is selling marketing systems to each other. The only ones who get rich are the first generation of people entering a new market with the pitch. Everyone after that has already bought the system and is trying to sell it to each other.
So the persuasion techniques, and the market research tools, absolutely they can work. It’s the other part of the pitch, the idea that you don’t actually need to have anything of value to sell, that’s the part that strikes me as dishonest. Testing the market to find who is willing to pay the most for your product is fine. Testing the market to find who is willing to pay for false hope and empty promises is *not* fine.
Drew Kime´s last blog post…I Am Not Right In The Head
Hi Drew,
Ahhh…your first post was in those last 3-4 posts I skipped. I agree %100 about pyramid systems of selling. Hate it. Loathe it. It’s the same a guaranteed rental return on a property sold 40% overvalue.
With Mass Control, I see Frank’s take – Frank’s approach. I have not one, but a number of offline products and services that are now doing much better since bringing them online. I find his ‘selling without selling’ approach easy to implement. And I applied the ’4-day cash machine’ and recouped my money — did I grimace at how easy it was and that I hadn’t implemented this before? Of course – after all – it’s just a time-limited sale for crying out loud – but I did it because I got the course.
Last year I bought a car – a car worth a lot more than 2K. Every couple of months the dealership sends me a letter about a new model I could buy.
There’s nice pictures of the car being driven by someone good looking, driving down a coast road, or mountain highway – all appealing to lifestyle and desire.
Do I need another car? Will the new car be unique – or will is have the basic core structure of a car? What if I fall for the marketing, and buy the car and I’m in financial trouble and I can’t really afford it? Is it their ‘fault’ for sending out the advertising, or mine for being irresponsible.
I don’t object to Frank promoting other courses. I’m a grown up – I can say “no” – just like I do to the dealership. But, one day, I might feel like doing a refresher. I might feel like hearing what someone else has to say. I might do a 2K course and pick up one or two strategies I hadn’t thought of and be glad for it. And then I’d be glad I was sent the advertising.
Business is business. Offline or online. Internet marketing – to me – is just using the internet to market your business. There are opportunities for businesses to grow online. Advertising is cheaper. Product delivery is cheaper. Rent is definitely cheaper.
I know a number of people who bought expensive training programs last year on ‘how to make money online’. One never opened the pack. The other gave up after he found it hard to change the nameservers for his hosting – oh and another kept changing from one online business strategy to another – without ever finishing anything.
Who’s at fault here?
I don’t know much about the Butterfly Marketing 2K course. I know I got a copy of the Butterfly Marketing Manuscript for free. I also know that I’m using the strategies in that free material to launch a membership site right now (one with completely original material and not in the making money niche at all), and it’s working really well. We have people signing up each week and it’s not even ‘open’ yet.
Maybe I’m just justifying my own purchase? That has to be a consideration…
So far so good though…but I’ll be back with a vengeance if it all goes sour.
Just a last question – and I mean it seriously. Do you think Frank learned anything from his significant brush with the law?
My best,
Nic Lucas´s last blog post…How to find out where you should start online
How funny. Nathan says early in the comments “just admire how Frank has gone about his business”. Right. You might want to read this report then – Frank Kern – Mass Control or Mass Con?
Frank is great and I have read alot about him. His ideas are amazing!
http://insideroutline.net´s last blog ..Insider Outline Coming Soon
I like Frank Kern. I feel he’s genuine, relaxed, and confident…. and Yes he is a businessman who is out to make money. He’s open about that far more than anyone else has ever had the balls to do.
My opinion is that all of IM is a game. Some win , some lose, and the ones who get suckered are generally the ones who were looking for something for nothing. The one’s who win learned how to quit making excuses, and work their ass off.
Frank’s good at what he does, and he’s good at teaching it. Personally, I think people oughta get over themselves and be honest about the fact that they’re out to make money too. He’s just a whole lot better at than most. I can see where others may be jealous.
Lighten up people… don’t be so serious.
I’ve done a complete 360 on Frank Kern. After reading this post on his blog and I’ve publicly apologised to him. In fact he emailed me and gave me a copy gig. True. So now I’m eating humble pie all over the shop. Check this out – Frank Kern can eat my shorts
Malcolm Lambe´s last blog ..Frank Kern on his 2003 FTC Bust
Well, I dunno. The website this pointed to had all the pulling power/design of someone selling Herbal Magic or “You can get paid just clicking on links!”
It was ugly, basic, and full of these schlocky lines that would have a red flag “bullshit” warning to anyone with an ounce of critical thinking.
And this gem…”How to ETHICALLY get inside the minds of your prospects and control their decisions” Huh? That’s simply not possible. Anyone who really takes marketing seriously has likely already closed the page.
I tried to watch the video, out of sheer morbid curiousity, but the link was down.
Frank Kern is good news for the rest of us. “Look, you have two options. You can use the ‘Frank Kern’ style OR you can take a serious look at your customers as individuals and focus on serving them as people that like what you sell.”
I don’t work in terms of “love” or “hate”. Maybe I will watch the “amazing new Frank Kern breakthrough that is guaranteed to save you TIME and MONEY!”
For now, though…thanks Frank, but from what I’ve seen…”I’m out.”
I liked him from the start, though I just became aware of him 1½ years ago.
He is, like most people say, good at what he does.
And I love it because he doesn’t try to sell something to you, but instead puts everything out there and gives alot away so that people themselves come to the decision of wanting to get his stuff.
I didn’t have money last year, but he made me want the Mass Control 2.0 so badly that I bought it anyway. I didn’t have a product and didn’t take action on anything, so I emailed him a moonth and a half later and he gave me all the money back without anything hassle at all.
He is proberbly one of the most ethical marketing guys out there, though he might not have been all his life…
I have a very interesting love/hate relationship with Frank Kern. I used to copywrite full-time for this publishing company where my boss absolutely ADORED Frank. Every time Frank released something new, the company would go crazy over the new course and we all would HAVE to study it.
Everytime Frank released something new, I would cringe. Why? Because he’d release some “million dollar email launch sequence and how you can use it too” and then the company and all the project managers wants to “swipe and roll it out” across ALL projects.
As the copywriter in the company, I just knew that you can’t apply Frank’s “swipe file” and copy-paste-send formula to all myriad of personalities and clients we have. Yes, I did value the strategy Frank used. I could see the triggers Frank pushed. And how oh-so-casually he would push them buttons in an don’t-you-know-I’m-your-pal kind of way. For that, I love him.
But I hated him for the way he makes marketing sound easy across the board of all topics with “one strategy/one angle” formula. I know why he does this though. Clearly, he’s smart enough to know what internet marketers want to hear, and he knows that by giving internet marketers the image and the message and the “easy tools” they want to hear, that HE’LL make bucket loads of money, but not necessarily the marketers who take his “swipe and roll out” advice.
Smart? Undeniable. Ethical? It’s cheap tact, for sure.
Thing is though, many people fall for him, as I observed my many project managers fall for him line, hook and sinker every single time. Only for them to wonder why the project didn’t do as well as they had hoped (and then blame the copywriter… LOL!)
In my humble opinion, if you are going to study Frank, study how he does things and, most importantly, WHY he does things the way he does. Don’t necessarily follow him for WHAT he says. Focusing on what he tells you to do (swipe his formula) will probably only work for you if your list of followers is exactly like his list of followers (i.e. internet marketers looking for a magic button).
Ah… Franky Frank Frank. Smart. Devious. Cunning. The rare person that falls into the category of internet marketing role models I admire, but don’t aspire to be.
Lisa Zahran´s last blog ..Cool Tool to Grab Attention & Boost Email Open Rates
A lot of the branded scamming usually involves higher dollar amount products or services. Combined with a brand, the high cost of a product gives it credibility. If it’s this expensive, it must be worth it. You have to open the book a little further to get the truth.
Mark´s last blog ..Loans For People With Bad Credit
Just notified about this post again. A few weeks agao I ran a launch in a non money making niche. I followed the Mass Control 2.0 outline. The launch was a huge success – many, many, many times the investment in the course.
Some people spend more than 2K on a logo – I spent it on a system that helps people and makes money. I have zero complaints.
Oh … and I have never been given an opportunity to sell Franks stuff.
Nic Lucas´s last blog ..James Schramko- Richard Branson and a mountain bike