The Beauty And Brains Of Infomercials

Saturday, July 18th, 2009 at 3:03 pm

Infomercials, you either love them, or you absolutely loathe them. They’re the informational commercials that play repeatedly during the late nights or early mornings pitching all sorts of products. There’s even channels that are completely devoted to showing infomercials over, and over, and over again. Infomercials seem to pitch everything from “Girls Gone Wild” DVD’s to special training devices to make your pet more obedient on command. Some infomercials are extremely dry and boring (such as Kevin Trudeau’s debt reduction or natural health products) and seem to make horrible, exaggerated claims about how they can help you. Other infomercials are just extremely entertaining, hilarious and full of life, even if the products still aren’t that great or effective. Let’s take a trip into the pop culture phenomenon and insanity that is infomercials. Please note as you read this article, I don’t buy into infomercials but enjoy viewing them.

First off, what exactly is an infomercial? It’s an important combination of the two words, information and commercial. These are generally length paid programming television commercials of 5 minutes or more which pitch some sort of product, system or method. Europe calls them “teleshopping”. However, there is a general misconception that infomercials are only on television. Infomercial can also refer to any source outside of TV, such as video, used to provide info about a product and persuade people’s opinions about them. You know the types that involve a studio audience who is just completely amazed by the product, or “un-biased” random, on-the-streets interviews with “complete strangers” who just happen to know of the product, use it, and absolutely love it! Infomercials are considered “direct product marketing” and feature on average two to four individual commercials of 30 to 120 seconds in length. These mini ads within the bigger ad invite the viewer to take action now such as calling or going to a website to buy the product advertised. Infomercials are now a regular part of our society and influence a great deal of purchasing action or reaction. Even some televangelists and religious folks use infomercials to deliver religious sermons and encourage others to subscribe to their faiths, or buy some sort of book.

Let’s examine the hilarity and possible genius of an infomercial. One infomercial you may see quite often is for Jeff Paul’s Shortcuts to Internet Millions. It’s a product that tells you you’ll get rich by setting up websites, then just sitting back and watching tons of easy cash flow in to your bank account. The advertisement is a perfect example of how blatant “in-your-face” advertising style works in these ads to lure in prospective buyers. It combines two very popular aspects, loads of money and beautiful women, all in an attempt to attract customers who want to “get rich quick” and enjoy the good life. The advertisement features two beautiful model hosts, Carmen Palumbo and Stacey Hayes who wear tight, low-cut dresses and interview various “millionaires” who have developed a passive income from the product. The setting is of course a luxurious mansion under the sun, with babes in bikinis walking about poolside and smooching with the various rich guys. There’s hot women, hot sports cars, and alcohol along with a lot of very happy “rich” people. It’s basically paradise for many, the full realization of the American Dream. Well, maybe for Jeff Paul, the product creator and owner. I’ll add that I’ve never actually bought the product and don’t plan to, so I can’t really tell you it’s a waste of money. All I know is if the product was true to its word, wouldn’t just about everyone own it and be touting it as great? The people in the ads love the product, as they should. After all, they’re part of the advertising. After viewing the ad, it’s basically Girls Gone Wild, but with less “Censored” black bars and more of the money making component added in. Nonetheless, you know Jeff Paul has made some money off sales of the product, making it a very effective campaign for him. If nothing else it makes for fun TV to watch, if you’ve really got nothing else to do.

Whether you love or hate the infomercial, they still hold a very special place on our television sets. Whether it’s something that will help you stay fit like The Firm or Ab Rocker, or something to make you rich like Jeff Paul’s Internet Millions Shortcut product, they still make their rounds daily and pull in buyers. They may be 30 minutes of mindless filler before the real programming comes on, or you just might find something that catches your eye worth buying. Buyers beware though; infomercials have been to known to make claims that are just a bit exaggerated in the hopes of making a boatload of money.

By: wwecharactersblog

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