Infomercial Madness

By Eric Ivanov on 07/29/2009

Imagine a world where you turn your TV on and no one in a blue shirt is screaming at you to buy something. Imagine a world wiped clean of thirty-minute specials highlighting how great products like a solid flavor injector, Snuggies, The Magic Bullet, and the Shamwow, really are. As much as these pitches try to sell us something for only the low price of $19.95, they are giving us something to watch, smile, and talk about. Infomercials have become a staple in our entertainment life. They make us laugh, they make us spread the word of their product, and sometimes they get us to buy the product.
Good advertising is something every company tries to get. Some of the most successful advertisements are ones that people remember and talk about long after they have seen the pitch on TV or radio. People remember the stupid commercials the most, then talk about them, and soon almost everyone knows about the Snuggy and the power of Oxy Clean. The people who produce these commercials know what works, and they make sure it does. Quiz one of your friends one day about infomercial products. Chances are they will know almost every one you ask them about. Like them or not these commercials stick in your head. We laugh at them in amazement that someone would buy the product; we watch them like a show we love to hate. The fact of the matter is that these infamous pitches are more entertainment than some of the reality shows the networks put on now.
People seem to gravitate to these low budget pitches. So much so it sparked a TV show, Pitchmen, on the Discovery Channel staring the late Billy Maze. It was infomercials gone legitimate, and people got to accept the show as real entertainment. All the show did was showcase a line of products. Was it actually just an infomercial? It was both! From everything people watch on TV to what they talk about to their friends is just different forms of advertising. The thing people have to get over is the mindset that only TV shows are entertainment, and commercials are only trying to sell you something. In this day and age everything has blended together. Shows export ideas, and vale, while commercials do the same thing. Its time to wake up and realize that we are being played. TV is just one big infomercial that entertains us and sells us a multitude of products. So relax, watch some TV, and get nice and cozy in that purple Snuggy you picked up yesterday.

Additional Photos: ["Snuggy", As seen on TV, "Cartoon" eyeblast.tv]