Near-zero production costs let a patent-medicine maker profit even if few buyers were persuaded.

Evidence

Given the margins—Liquozone cost next to nothing to make—and the size of mailings, he did not need to persuade many that his product could relieve a host of ailments, both minor (like dandruff) as well as fatal (including malaria, anthrax, diphtheria, and cancer). — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 101

Categorization

• XREF: The margins-economy logic is a template for later attention businesses where per-acquisition costs are negligible and a tiny conversion rate suffices.