If you’re as old as me, or older, you probably remember the Star Trek series from the 60s and then all the ones that came after it. Even if you’re not as old as me, you’d have to have lived under a rock not to have heard of one of the most popular franchises of all time. And you’re probably wondering what you could possibly learn from Star Trek. What does this show have to do with Internet marketing? Directly, nothing. But there is a HUGE Internet marketing lesson here for those insightful enough to see it. If you’re still scratching your head wondering what it is, keep reading…you’ll find out.

The original Star Trek series, commonly referred to as TOS (not to be confused with Terms of Service) was not a big hit. It lasted all of three seasons. Ratings were down as the show progressed and the network finally decided it was time to pull the plug, in spite of the many protests and letters from the few loyal fans that they had. Star Trek was dead after just three years on the air.

But then something strange happened. Some stations, particularly WPIX in New York, saw the appeal in the show and started to syndicate it. Interest in the old series started up again. The creators saw this and decided to make a feature movie. While the first Trek film wasn’t all that great, it did well at the box office and another film, “The Wrath Of Khan” followed. This film, arguably was what put Star Trek back on the map. Suddenly, this old cult favorite was a smash hit.

So the creators decided to come up with another Star Trek series, The Next Generation, which lasted for many seasons. It was a huge success. Other Star Trek series followed including Deep Space 9, Voyager and Enterprise, which was actual a prequel to the original series. Other films were made, including the most recent by the creator of Lost. Suddenly, you looked up and the Star Trek franchise was a monster success, spawning toys, games, cards and a whole list of products.

All this from a show that was pronounced dead over 40 years ago.

Okay, you’re probably wondering what the lesson is. Well here it is. If you have a good product, which the original Star Trek series was, it doesn’t matter how good it is if it’s not marketed properly. The networks dropped the ball on the original series because they didn’t market it well enough. It was a show ahead of its time so they figured there was just not enough demand for it. How wrong they were.

Sure, you’re going to have your failures…products that nobody REALLY wants. But before you throw in the towel on your child, give it a fair chance to survive. Promote it with all you’ve got. Don’t go down without a fight.

Because you’ll never know when you’ve got a Star Trek on your hands just waiting to make you a fortune.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

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