4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.

You may recognize those numbers as a central theme from the recently ended “Lost.” This TV show was a masterful puzzle that kept minds turning week after week. Viewers actively persuaded friends to watch.

For my money many issues weren’t resolved in the final episode. We’re still discussing it. For a family that cares little for television, this is quite an admission.

My friend Allan hooked us. We then voluntarily returned weekly, spending hundreds of hours watching, dissecting, and repeatedly seeking out the same episodes online. We built Tuesday mealtimes around the television schedule.

It was an unhealthy obsession, but our week wasn’t complete without “Lost.”

A reviewer once noted the guys who developed “Lost” could take over the world and we’d willingly go along. Despite crowded television schedules, short attention spans, and fractured audiences, ABC took an unusual, intellectual format and potentially changed their industry.

You might learn a lesson from them, since business success needs these same steps:

• Sell something different from the competition

• Persuade people your company is better

• Get buzz – word-of-mouth marketing where customers tell their friends how great you are

Few brands or companies can claim people miss them when they’re not doing business together. Yet the geniuses at “Lost” consistently kept us hungry for more. They had us talking about them at work and at play. They appealed across gender, race, age and nationality. And they did it for six years.

As you plan your business going forward, consider how to get people yearning to hear from you each week, and make them miss you during summer vacation. What questions can only you answer to ensure you’re invited back for more conversation?

Getting inside customers’ heads isn’t easy. It’s lots of work to consistently maintain that energy level, year after year. But as we’ve just seen, it’s doable and can be very successful if handled properly.

Business success comes with an idea, planning, talented people, solid financing, commitment, adaptability, and a willingness to take advantage of new opportunities. Keep your eye on the ball and you too may have millions worldwide asking when they’ll see you again.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

Mr. Marketing typically watches little TV beyond William Powell movies, but loves getting your letters. Write to him at www.askmrmarketing.com.