⭐️ Your Golden Ticket Awaits [no, its not a fighter jet]

Hey friend,

Today we unwrap a chocolate bar and find your next million-dollar idea, the psychology behind why people chase near-impossible odds, and what a military jet has to do with it all—oh, and of course, 3 ways you can profit from today’s theme. Let’s dig in.

Ok, wait - before we begin - have you joined us in the behind-the-scenes of this newsletter? We are planning some very exciting things for it. Shh : (Click for backstage access)

The Story

My first addiction wasn't cigarettes or alcohol. It was chocolate bars - but not for the reason you may think…

By age 9, I'd spent enough on Wonka Bars to buy a bike. By 12, I was using my lunch money to fund my habit - convinced that the next wrapper would change everything. My mother still has photos of me passed out amid torn foil wrappers, chocolate-smeared and mumbling about golden tickets.

This wasn't just sugar addiction. This was my first lesson in probability, psychology, and profit.

Obviously, I blame Roald Dahl. 

In 1964, this grumpy British novelist, haunted by his boarding school days as a chocolate company's guinea pig, sat down to write a children's story that would turn millions of kids like me into chocolate-addicted lottery players.

The result wasn’t just another book, but quite possibly one of the greatest marketing blueprint of all time. And apparently, he did it completely by accident. 

See, before Charlie and the Chocolate Factory hit shelves, Dahl had spent his school years as an unwilling taste-tester for Cadbury. The company would send new chocolate prototypes to boarding schools, using students as their focus group. 

This weird childhood trauma of forced chocolate sampling somehow translated into a story about five golden tickets that would change marketing forever and inspire billions of dollars in profit.

So how did this concept from a fictional book translate to real-world sales? I’m glad you asked… 

Nestlé literally bought the rights to the Wonka story and turned it into a real-life golden ticket frenzy. Their sales skyrocketed 150% in a weekend as grown adults threw elbows in supermarket aisles over chocolate bars—because some of them might contain something special.

McDonald's turned this into a science with their Monopoly promotion. Every year they see a 7% sales boost - that's billions with a B. The genius part? Most prizes are small - free fries, drinks, burgers. But the chance of hitting the big one is what drives otherwise rational people to buy 12 Big Macs in a day.

Then there's my favorite: In 1996, Pepsi jokingly advertised a Fighter Jet for 7 million points in a similar type of promotion. Some guy actually collected them. Went to court demanding his military aircraft. Pepsi had to explain that no, you can't actually get a $33 million war machine from drinking soda.

These promotions work because they exploit a simple idea - “What if?”

The most powerful promotion isn’t selling a product—it’s selling a possibility.

Now, let me show you three ways to create your own golden ticket moment...

How To Profit

• The Mystery Package Play

Let’s start simple: People love surprises. Even more, they love the chance of getting something rare.

So here’s how you turn any e-commerce business into a dopamine factory.

First, create something exclusive. A limited edition product. A legendary item that nobody can just buy. The only way to get it? Find it hidden inside random orders.

Think Willy Wonka, but without the child labor.

Next, make it time-sensitive. A promotion that never ends is just another sale. The moment you slap a deadline on it—“For the next 14 days, any order might contain our never-before-seen [limited edition product]”—you create urgency.

Suddenly, customers aren’t just shopping. They’re racing against the clock.

Next, here’s a twist: Use spending thresholds to drive up order value.

Let’s say your average order is $50. You introduce The Golden Tier. Every order above $100 gets the limited edition item - this weekend only.

Now, customers aren’t just buying a product. They’re unlocking a chance to get something priceless.

Remember the psychology: People always prefer a small chance at something extraordinary over a guarantee of something ordinary.

Use that.

• The Scratch-Off Experience

The physical act of scratching is addictive. It's tactile. It's exciting. It's weirdly satisfying.

So why not create custom scratch-off cards for your business?

Step one: Create custom scratch-off cards—but don’t make them look like gas station junk. No flimsy cardboard. No cheap printing. These should feel premium. High-quality, branded, VIP-exclusive. Think "Member Rewards Cards," not "cheap promo gimmicks."

Step two: Every card is a winner.

Some reveal 10% off their next purchase. Others unlock free products. A few rare ones hit the jackpot. But nobody walks away empty-handed. You're not handing out discounts—you're creating winners.

Here’s why this works:

The moment they scratch that card, they’re hooked into their next purchase. Let’s apply this idea to a restaurant business.

• A restaurant includes a scratch-off with every check. The customer wins a free dessert next visit.

• They come back for the free dessert (because, duhh, it’s free), and while they’re there, they order dinner again.

• Cost to you? Maybe $5.

• Value of that repeat visit? 20x that.

It’s the perfect loop: They win → they come back → they spend more → they get another scratch card → and on and on it goes.

The best part is you’re not asking them to return—you’re making sure they have to, or they’ll leave money on the table.

And let’s be real, nobody walks away from a free chocolate lava cake.

• The VIP Referral Jackpot

If you want free marketing that actually works, stop handing out boring referral discounts. Nobody gets excited about “10% off your next order.”

Instead, turn referrals into a high-stakes game—one where your customers feel like they’re unlocking something massive just by sharing.

Here’s how it works:

Most businesses reward referrals the wrong way:

• “Refer a friend and get $10.” Boooring.

Instead, you pool the referral rewards into one huge, high-stakes jackpot.

Each month, one lucky referrer wins a massive prize. Suddenly, every referral is a lottery ticket, or should I say a ‘golden ticket’. 

The more people they refer, the higher their chances of winning.

BONUS - Your Golden Ticket

We practice what we preach - so here is your chance at your very own golden ticket prize. Hit reply to this newsletter- say hello, tell us what you loved (or hated), and let us know one thing we can do better.

We’ll pick 5 lucky people to win a surprise. Take the shot. You never know.

The Ace Segment

In 1910, Ace Victoria was sharing drinks with Edsel Ford, Henry’s son, at Detroit’s most exclusive club.

‘‘Your father’s problem isn’t in the cars’’, Ace said. ‘‘It’s getting people to try them in the first place.’’

He suggested something simple: hide golden keys in random Model Ts. Find a key, win a car.

Edsel loved it. Henry thought it was crazy but agreed to give away five cars as prizes - pocket change compared to their advertising budget.

In just a few weeks, dealership visits tripled, sales doubled. Decades later, whispers of the golden key contest found their way to a young Roald Dahl. Some believe this tale planted the seed for his famous golden ticket, though Dahl himself never claimed it. I guess we’ll never know…

Until next time,

Alex

Founder //LZY MNY CLB