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  • Chris PirilloChrisPirillo@mastodon.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 5:03 AM

    At One Point, Half the CDs Made in the World Had an AOL Logo...

    AOL's former chief marketing officer says that at one point half the CDs produced worldwide had an AOL logo on them. TechCrunch quotes Jan Brandt writing "At one point, 50% of the CD's produced worldwide had an AOL logo on it," so the figure is her account, not an audited count. Mental Floss credits the mailing idea to her as well.

    The disks were not cheap. TechCrunch says each floppy disk cost AOL $1.19 to make at first.

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  • Chris PirilloChrisPirillo@mastodon.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 5:03 AM

    Gizmodo quotes AOL founder Steve Case on the spending: "A lot! I don't remember the total spending but do recall in the early 1990s our target was to spend 10%" of what a customer would bring in.

    The bet paid off. Wikipedia says that in 1997 about half of all US homes with Internet access had it through AOL, and that the average subscription lasted about 25 months and accounted for $350 in total revenue. A disk that cost a few dollars could win a customer who paid hundreds.

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  • Chris PirilloChrisPirillo@mastodon.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 5:03 AM

    People hated the mail. Slashdot, summarizing PC World's 2007 list, said topping the list of the most annoying tech products was AOL's ubiquitous free trial CDs. Mental Floss says that by 2006 the disc campaign was being phased out as customers' online habits changed.

    Free trials still run on this math. When you sign up for a streaming service, a cloud plan or an app, set a reminder for the day before the first charge, and cancel then if you are not using it.

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  • Chris PirilloChrisPirillo@mastodon.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 5:03 AM

    The trial is cheap for the company because many people forget.

    A free trial is an acquisition cost, and you are the one who decides whether it gets paid back.

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