But WAIT! (Maybe) There’s More ... to the Infomercial
While the infomercial is crass and limited in many cases or categories, sometimes our vantage point is so elitist that we give this type of marketing no credit. The death of Billy Mays should give us all pause in the advertising world, and an opportunity to see what we can learn from the Infomercial King.
Sometimes we are embarrassed to make the direct sale. We're too timid to pound home the point. We can fall into the trap of liking what is "pretty" and think the best ad is the least direct one with the tiniest client logo and the most indirect solution. Ron Popeil was an advertiser who had nerve. He may have made you wince, but he sold millions and was a genius who reinvented himself over and over again for 30 years, not by accident (read his book.) Obviously, marketing is nuanced, and this POV reflects one extreme—but one our industry too seldom acknowledges as worthy of even being considered within the toolkit. Depending on the stage of a mid-market brand, it could be the right kind of spend. It should at least be considered.
Blog columnist, Danny G., shares some great lessons Billy Mays taught us in his blog "View From the Cheap Seats." Even if you never plan to market your brand with an infomercial, the lessons are worth the read. Danny G. writes, "It’s easy to make fun of Billy Mays and the other infomercials of the world. They’re loud, they’re pushy, they sell stuff we don’t think we need. But they work—to the tune of billions in sales. They’re more successful than anything that crates home the awards we tend to covet. We love to pride ourselves on uncovering 'simple, human truths,' yet a lot of self-indulgent creative work doesn’t reflect that." Read the lessons shared here: http://www.talentzoo.com/news.php?articleID=2352
marketing lessons,
infomercial,
billy mays,
advertising gimmicks
