Library's review
The remarkable story of Japan's legendary healing formula and how it continues to work wonders.
This is a little 5'x5' paperback that has been mailed to people across the country. Its purpose is to sell an herbal product, and it does so very effectively. The marketing is admirable - I would say at
The tale is presented as a compelling true story and is very well-written. Unfortunately, it is fiction. A bit of internet research shows that there is no substantial information available on Dr. Hiro Kumato, who is a main character in the story. Dr. Kumato is presented as a humble but quite accomplished manufacturer of herbal products, a person who would clearly be well-known. His name is on the little promotional note that comes with the book: 'February 18, 2010 - Dear friend, This book will change your life. - Harmony is strength. - May you be blessed with eternal health. - [Oriental characters.] - Dr. Hiro Kumato.'
Although much of the story cannot easily be checked, some can be. For instance, the book references 'the Tiger Shogun,' who 'led his samurai into battle when he was in his nineties!...so healthy that he perished at over one hundred years, not from bad health but from an accident while racing his horse!' However, Japanese history is quite well documented. Here's a note from the website [...]:
'In a list of all the Shoguns going back to the 1100's, there were only three who lived into their 70's. None made it to the age of 80 ([...]). The average age of the 14 Shoguns following Ieyasu Tokugawas was only 50.4.
'Thus, the information about the Tiger Shogun living to be over a hundred is a fabrication. I presume this is also true for the other even less verifiable portions of the story.'
The story also lets one know why the nearly exact product, with the exact same carefully chosen and processed ingredients, will not give the superior results of this one. This is done with such superb subtlety that one can easily come away convinced without realizing how the convincing occurred.
This doesn't mean the product isn't excellent. It just means that it is being marketed in a way some might characterize as underhanded.
Here is a real-life gauge of the strength of this little book: an excerpt from a company that specializes in compiling mailing lists and mass mailings to targeted audiences:
'Average purchase for CHO-WA Herbal Supplement Buyers is $[over a hundred...].
'CHO-WA buyers are responsive to a variety of offers including health and longevity products, pain relievers, anti-aging supplements, male enhancements, health and long-life publications, travel clubs, financial services, retirement plans and much more.'
This suggests those of us who received one of these little books are on some mailing lists and are considered, um, 'responsive.' Personally, I find this a much more pleasing word than 'gullible.'
You might wonder why I didn't give choose the lowest rating. This book is so admirable as an incredibly well-done and effective piece of marketing that 5 stars wouldn't be unreasonable. The writing is compelling, the mailings are brilliant, and resultant average customer sales are impressive. A student of marketing and sales psychology can learn many useful lessons from this little book - as can the naive consumer.-Walter Chao
Contents
Prologue
I Sensei
II Dr. Kkumato
III The formula
Epilogue
This is a little 5'x5' paperback that has been mailed to people across the country. Its purpose is to sell an herbal product, and it does so very effectively. The marketing is admirable - I would say at
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the genius level.The tale is presented as a compelling true story and is very well-written. Unfortunately, it is fiction. A bit of internet research shows that there is no substantial information available on Dr. Hiro Kumato, who is a main character in the story. Dr. Kumato is presented as a humble but quite accomplished manufacturer of herbal products, a person who would clearly be well-known. His name is on the little promotional note that comes with the book: 'February 18, 2010 - Dear friend, This book will change your life. - Harmony is strength. - May you be blessed with eternal health. - [Oriental characters.] - Dr. Hiro Kumato.'
Although much of the story cannot easily be checked, some can be. For instance, the book references 'the Tiger Shogun,' who 'led his samurai into battle when he was in his nineties!...so healthy that he perished at over one hundred years, not from bad health but from an accident while racing his horse!' However, Japanese history is quite well documented. Here's a note from the website [...]:
'In a list of all the Shoguns going back to the 1100's, there were only three who lived into their 70's. None made it to the age of 80 ([...]). The average age of the 14 Shoguns following Ieyasu Tokugawas was only 50.4.
'Thus, the information about the Tiger Shogun living to be over a hundred is a fabrication. I presume this is also true for the other even less verifiable portions of the story.'
The story also lets one know why the nearly exact product, with the exact same carefully chosen and processed ingredients, will not give the superior results of this one. This is done with such superb subtlety that one can easily come away convinced without realizing how the convincing occurred.
This doesn't mean the product isn't excellent. It just means that it is being marketed in a way some might characterize as underhanded.
Here is a real-life gauge of the strength of this little book: an excerpt from a company that specializes in compiling mailing lists and mass mailings to targeted audiences:
'Average purchase for CHO-WA Herbal Supplement Buyers is $[over a hundred...].
'CHO-WA buyers are responsive to a variety of offers including health and longevity products, pain relievers, anti-aging supplements, male enhancements, health and long-life publications, travel clubs, financial services, retirement plans and much more.'
This suggests those of us who received one of these little books are on some mailing lists and are considered, um, 'responsive.' Personally, I find this a much more pleasing word than 'gullible.'
You might wonder why I didn't give choose the lowest rating. This book is so admirable as an incredibly well-done and effective piece of marketing that 5 stars wouldn't be unreasonable. The writing is compelling, the mailings are brilliant, and resultant average customer sales are impressive. A student of marketing and sales psychology can learn many useful lessons from this little book - as can the naive consumer.-Walter Chao
Contents
Prologue
I Sensei
II Dr. Kkumato
III The formula
Epilogue
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Publication
DRMG Publications 5 Hutton Center Dr., Suite 1025 Santa Ana, CA 92707