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Joe Sugarman (April 27, 1938 – March 18, 2022) was an American marketing executive, copywriter, and entrepreneur best known for his role in developing direct response television (DRTV) advertising and for founding BluBlocker Corporation, the company behind BluBlocker sunglasses. He was widely regarded as a pioneer of modern direct marketing and a leading authority on copywriting.
Early Life
[edit]Joseph Sugarman was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended the University of Miami before serving as a U.S. Army intelligence officer in West Germany. After returning to the United States, he began his business career by launching a mail-order company that specialized in electronics and novelty items.
Career
[edit]In 1971, Sugarman founded JS&A Group, a direct marketing company that sold consumer technology via long-form print advertisements. His approach to advertising was unconventional at the time—he used engaging storytelling, first-person narrative, and editorial-style copy to sell products, often in full-page ads that resembled magazine articles.[1]
Sugarman's advertising breakthrough came with products like pocket calculators, digital watches, and remote car starters, many of which were cutting-edge technologies for their time. His ads often ran in magazines such as The Wall Street Journal and Popular Mechanics, where he could directly measure consumer response.
He later launched BluBlocker sunglasses in 1986 after reading about how certain lenses could block blue light. His infomercials for BluBlockers, which aired nationally, became cultural phenomena. Sugarman personally appeared in the commercials, using a relaxed and conversational tone that contrasted with the hard-sell tactics common in late-night television.[2]
Legacy and Influence
[edit]Sugarman was recognized as one of the most influential figures in direct marketing. In 2010, Time magazine included an ad featuring BluBlocker sunglasses in its list of the “25 Worst (We Mean Best) Infomercials” citing the brand's success through infomercial marketing.[3]
He was also a respected author and educator in the marketing world. His books, including Advertising Secrets of the Written Word (later retitled The Adweek Copywriting Handbook) and Triggers: 30 Sales Tools You Can Use to Control the Mind of Your Prospect, are widely used as foundational texts in copywriting and persuasion.[4][5]
Personal Life
[edit]Sugarman spent his later years in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he continued to write and speak on marketing. He passed away on March 18, 2022, at the age of 83.[2]
Bibliography
[edit]- Success Forces (1980)
- Advertising Secrets of the Written Word (1998)
- Triggers (1999)
- The Adweek Copywriting Handbook (2006)
References
[edit]- ^ "Joseph Sugarman, Mail-Order Maverick". The New York Times. March 30, 1980.
- ^ a b "Joseph Sugarman Obituary". Chicago Tribune. March 25, 2022.
- ^ "25 Worst (We Mean Best) Infomercials". Time. October 25, 2010.
- ^ Sugarman, Joe. The Adweek Copywriting Handbook. John Wiley & Sons, 2006.
- ^ Sugarman, Joe. Triggers. Sugarman Publications, 1999.