Marketing04.23.12

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane!

Dark
Light

No, it’s just some girl wearing a “Bump It.” Since I was a little kid (which isn’t going very far back at the age of 26), I can remember watching “As Seen On TV” advertisements with my grandmother. I don’t always remember the piece of #^$% being sold but, I do remember my grandmother jumping up saying “I need that.” This brings me to think, “What makes these items so desperately needed?” Is it the fact that we like new gadgets, or is it the awful acting that comes sweeping through our family rooms? Much like the “Forever Lazy” for tailgating parties or $%@^ing on the toilet without having to take your pants off? Still trying to figure that one out.

Infomercials or also known as paid programming are defined as direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number and/or website. The word infomercial is a mixing of the two words “information” and “commercial”; it’s what the word Brangelina means to us today. Infomercials usually have two different formats. One is usually a 30 second commercial that will run during the break of watching “Real Housewives of New Jersey” and the other is a 30 minute run that usually shows overnight.

Overnight Infomercials were the starting steps in the United States. Networks would place them in the 2:00 AM – 6:00 AM commercial broadcasting to clean up the prime time lineup. Since 2009 this rule has changed and are now thrown in with our prime time shows. Obviously ones for German call girls still place in the 2:00 AM area…sorry boys, you will have to wait for the early hours in your “Pajama Jeans” for that.

Perhaps this infatuation is one that I missed or is this something that with time will phase itself out, but time will tell. Leave a comment to let me hear a yay or nay on your love or hatred for infomercials.