Does “hornhollerin” have it’s privileges? Got me, I just made the word up… sort of like how American Express coined the term “Cardmembership” (notice the capitalization).

And, believe it or not, it’s done them quite profitably.

Creating your own terminology can do wonders for your position in the marketplace. Just look at lawyers… they’ve pretty much “termed” their way into necessary permanence.

AmEx did a bit more than create their own term, though. They connected it with a tribe… a tribe of exclusivity, of perceived value, a VIP tribe. And now everyone wants in.

Perceived Cardmembership does have it’s privileges, especially if you’re American Express.

Check out this short four-minute video of copywriter Peter Stone showcasing an ad AmEx sent to 280 million addresses and pulled in over a Billion dollars.

http://www.screencast.com/t/Ziax48YfuY <–

He was staring at her with an almost predatory glee. Standing next to him I could definitely sense his energy level rising. I’d witnessed this scene play out numerous times and knew what was coming next.

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