Cited from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewgTvOj5k5g
Sourced on: 08/09/2010
General Information:
Infomercials commonly use testimonial appeals which tap into peoples sense of rationality such as "well if they say its good it must be!". Infomercials are a good way to educate consumers about a new product if the company has little money to get started as they can make sales and advertise all in one. Launched in 2008 the AeroGarden infomercial has been created to communicate the benefits of the product. The ad communicates the ease of the product which for the target audience (stated below) would be very appealing.
Target Audience:
People who value fresh produce but find growing it in their own garden too much hassle
Objectives:
To educate consumers about the AeroGarden and increase sales revenue.
My Opinion:
This ad helps to display the benefits of the product and i think when Im older and have children and less time I may use this product. Although i don't like infomercials in general, I like the idea of the product.
Advertisement: Proactiv Infomercial
Cited from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNYBlQc3cHU&p=525732244CAC8436&playnext=
1&index=1
Sourced on: 08/09/2010
General Information:
Proactiv began to pop up on Australian televisions in the mid 2000's initially with the US infomercials with US celebrity endorsers and then later with Australian ones. Similar to the above AeroGarden infomercial, Proactiv have used the testimonial appeal but in combination with a celebrity endorser Michala Banas. This again communicates the rational benefits of the product with the end unique selling proposition being "well if they say its good it must be!.
Target Audience:
People who suffer from acne.
Objectives:
To educate about the benefits of Proactiv and increase sales revenue.
My Opinion:
I like the execution of this ad, it uses real people but then also people can look up to as a public figure dealing with the same issue. The lighting is also very different from the first one, it creates a brighter cleaner feel to the infomercial.
Advertisement: Snuggie Infomercial
Sourced on: 08/09/2010
General Information:
As a new product it is vital to increase awareness quickly in order to launch the product, the use of infomercials is a fast and effective way of doing so. This product was launched in 2008 and used infomercials as their primary source of marketing. This infomercial unlike the others above weighs in on Snuggies substitute product, blankets, making them an unappealing choice as they "slip and slide". The execution style is slice of life, illustrating a family enjoying the benefits of the product, while a voice speaks over communicating information.
Target Audience:
People who find themselves cold while enjoying their leisure time but find themselves irritated by blankets
Objectives:
To educate consumers about the benefits of the Snuggie and increase sales revenue
My Opinion:
When i see this ad i immediately change the channel. As already said I don't particularly like infomercials but i find this one especially a little too cheesy for me.
Trade Press:
The Cult of the Snuggie
Call it this season's Clapper. Why you can't avoid the commercial that's so bad, it's good
If you've never heard of the Snuggie, then you haven't been watching cable TV. The two-minute commercial for the "blanket with sleeves," which began airing in September, has been playing nonstop--and not just on struggling channels in the wee hours of the morning. Images of Snuggie-clad folks high-fiving one another at an outdoor sporting event (and looking like, as one blogger put it, members of a "laid-back satanic cult") have appeared during prime time on such cable stalwarts as ESPN, Comedy Central and CNN, becoming so ubiquitous that everyone from Jay Leno to a gazillion people on YouTube is talking about it. Just Google "Cult of the Snuggie."
The ready-to-wear blanket went so far as to inspire Cameron Cosgrove, an 18-year-old Connecticut native, to post a seven-minute, profanity-laden rant on YouTube. "This is the best way to explain it," he tells the camera between long drags on a cigarette. "It's a bathrobe. That is really long. That you wear backwards."
Scott Boilen, CEO and president of Allstar Marketing Group, the company that makes the cuddly cassock, is familiar with Snuggie haters; he's seen Cosgrove's rant. "Publicity is publicity," he says. "At least people are talking about it." And evidently people are also buying it, with more than 3 million Snuggies sold and counting.
Like Ginsu knives and the George Foreman grill, the Snuggie has become synonymous with direct-response advertising, the preferred industry parlance for commercials that feature a toll-free number for placing orders. And thanks to the recession, such "as seen on TV" companies are purchasing more airtime for chump change.
"I like to say that we're getting beachfront property at trailer-park prices," says A.J. Khubani, founder and CEO of TeleBrands, another popular purveyor of infomercialesque merchandise. He says his company is buying better time slots for nearly 25% less than it paid in 2007. Commercials for TeleBrands products, which include nail clippers for pets (PediPaws), now appear during The O'Reilly Factor, the most popular show on Fox News.
And while profits are down at nationwide retailers like Walgreens and Target, Khubani says the number of TeleBrands products purchased in those stores are "way up," with TeleBrands' overall sales in 2008 nearly doubling since 2007. Of course, because such products are often manufactured overseas--the Snuggie, for example, is made in China--prices tend to be more consumer-friendly in a recession.
The Snuggie isn't the first blanket with sleeves (Slanket, anyone?), nor is it likely to be the last. But if Boilen has his way, the product and its aggressive marketing campaign are here to stay. His company plans to introduce new versions later this year, from the Outdoor Snuggie to the Snuggie for Kids. "We're hoping this is going to be a brand in the U.S. for a long time to come," he says. Someone get Cameron Cosgrove another cigarette.
Stephey, M. J. (2009).The Cult of the Snuggie. Time Magazine. Vol. 173, Issue 4
Write up:
This article discusses the controversy surrounding the product people love to hate, the Snuggie. Scott Boilen, CEO and president of Allstar Marketing Group who marketed the Snuggie states that "Publicity is publicity," he says. "At least people are talking about it." Stephey (2009) goes on to explain the cult of the Snuggie stating that it has become "synonymous with direct-response advertising" and that Snuggies "have appeared during prime time on such cable stalwarts as ESPN, Comedy Central and CNN, becoming so ubiquitous that everyone from Jay Leno to a gazillion people on YouTube is talking about it". This suggests that there is appeal being a product that people love to hate, it may result in the campaign going viral and buzz being created around it ultimately boosting sales.
Journal:
Woodside, A and Motes, W. (1980). Image versus Direst-Response Advertising. Journal of Advertising Research. 20(4)
Write up:
This article attempts to distinguish between the two advertising techniques: Image and direct marketing. Woodside and Motes (2009) contend that direct response advertisements are structured so that...may respond directly. They finally state that direct response advertising may be more likely to motivate economic-orientated consumers (Woodside & Motes, 2009). This is important for the sector as it means that people who are more rational minded and have little time for shopping would find this an appealing method for purchasing goods.
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