I recently had a lengthy email exchange with the brains behind the Bender Ball -- Savvier's Jeff Tuller. Jeff had read my blog posting from April 7, where I conceded the Bender Ball was a hit but complained that it "should have failed without a doubt."
"The Bender Ball is a small, inflatable ball," I wrote. "I see no reason people would believe it has special properties. Maybe someone can post a comment and explain this one to me."
Much credit goes to Jeff for reading that comment and responding politely to it. If that were me, I might have been a little sharper in my response!
As payback for his kindness, and the time he took to explain himself, I am reproducing the key parts of his email here. It's a fascinating story and a great example of how a clever marketer can take a simple item and turn it into a bona-fide hit.
