infomercial

• Infomercial

https://store.theartofservice.com/the-infomercial-toolkit.html

Infomercial

1 According to tapebeat.com, over $150 billion of consumer products in the US are sold through infomercials.


Infomercial

1 Hence, political speeches or conventions may be derogatorily referred to as "infomercials" for a

specific point of view.


Infomercial - Format

1 Infomercials are often made to

closely resemble loins television

programshttps://store.theartofservice.com/the-infomercial-toolkit.html


1 For many infomercials, the largest portion of positive response is for

consumers to take action by purchasing at a retail store



1 Many traditional infomercial producers make use of flashy catchphrases, repeat basic ideas,

or employ scientist-like characters or celebrities as guests or hosts in their ad. The book As Seen on TV (Quirk Books) by Lou Harry and Sam Stall

highlights the history of products as the Flowbee, the Chia Pet, and Ginsu knives.

Sometimes, traditional infomercials use limited time offers or claim one can only purchase the

wares from television to add pressure for viewers to buy their products.


Infomercial - Products using infomercial marketing

1 Automobile dealerships, attorneys, and jewelers are among the types of businesses that air infomercials on a

local level.


Infomercial - Products using infomercial marketing

1 Apple's use of the infomercial medium was immediately

discontinued with Steve Jobs' 1997 return to the helm of the company.


Infomercial - Early infomercials

1 Eventually, FCC limits on the amount of advertising that could appear

during an hour of television did away with these programs, forcing

sponsors into the background; however, few infomercials, mainly those for greatest hits record sets and Shop Smith power tools, did

exist during the period when commercial time was restricted.



1 It is quite possible that the first modern infomercial series which ran in North America was on San Diego-area television station XETV, which

during the 1970s ran a one-hour television program every Sunday

consisting of advertisements for local homes for sale



1 Credited for coining the word "infomercial" was hospitality/entertainment impresario Paul

Ruffino whose CineStar company was a pioneer in purchasing program-length commercial time. The first infomercial as we know it today aired in

1982. Entrepreneur Robert E. Murphy, Jr., looking to market a hair growth treatment

reached out to a Chicago ad agency where he met Frank Cannella, who convinced broadcast stations and cable networks to sell time for his

format. The show was a hit.[according to whom?]


Infomercial - After 1984

1 Infomercials proliferated in the United States after 1984 when the

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) eliminated regulations that were established in the 1950s and 1960s to govern the commercial

content of television.



1 CNBC, which airs only one hour of infomercials nightly during the business week, airs up to 28 hours of infomercials

on Saturdays and Sundays during the time where the network's business news

coverage otherwise airs; since the September–October 2008 financial crisis, CNBC has inserted a paid programming bug on the top right corner of the screen

during all airings of infomercials.



1 Some cable channels, such as Corner Store TV, Access Television Network

and GRTV, specialise in an all-infomercial format.


Infomercial - In the United Kingdom

1 In the UK political infomercials known as 'Party Political Broadcasts' are

allocated to political parties according to a formula approved by Parliament and are available only on mainstream radio/network television,

are strictly limited and are free of charge


Infomercial - Televangelists

1 The vast majority of religious programming in the United States is distributed through paid infomercial

time; the fees that televangelists pay for coverage on most religious

stations are a major revenue stream for those stations, in addition to

programming the networks produce themselves


Infomercial - During the 2007–2010 financial crisis

1 However, the reduced ratings from airing infomercials can have a

domino effect and harm ratings for other programming on the TV

station.



1 A feature length documentary that chronicles the history of the infomercial is Pitch People.



1 In 2008, Tribune Media Services and Gemstar-TV Guide/Rovi began to relax the guidelines for listing infomercials within their electronic

program guide listings. Previously all infomercials were listed under the title "Paid Programming" (except for exceptions listed below), but now infomercial producers are

allowed to submit a title and limited synopsis (phone numbers/websites to order a

product/service seem to be disallowed) of the program's content to the listings providers.


Infomercial - Fox's Saturday morning programming

1 Some stations opted to use the extra time on Saturday morning for E/I programming, with infomercials

relegated to before or after the block, or even limited to afternoons, if local

newscasts are shown earlier.


Infomercial - Criticism and legal issues

1 In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that any

infomercial 15 minutes or longer must disclose to viewers that it is a paid

advertisement. An infomercial is required to be "clearly and conspicuously" marked as a "paid advertisement for [particular product or service], sponsored by [sponsor]" at the beginning and end of the advertisement

and before ordering instructions are displayed.



1 Some channels, such as CNBC, include a "paid programming" bug in

a corner of the screen during the duration of each infomercial on that channel; other channels, particularly

smaller networks such as RFD-TV, have publicly disavowed infomercials

and have refused to air them.



1 In 2006 the first third party testimonial verification company was

launched and now independently validates the consumer testimonials

used in many infomercials.


Infomercial - Parodies

1 In a sort of self-parody, the movie Santo Gold's Blood Circus features a musical number in which mail-order

jewelry salesman "Santo Gold" Rigatuso (who financed the film) advertises his wares. Santo Gold promoted the film heavily in its

infomercials.



1 A skit in the cartoon series Tiny Toon Adventures has an infomercial

hostess trying to sell a clothesline for $39.95, but has to include additional offers to try to justify the high price.



1 In the Garfield and Friends episode "Dread Giveaway", Garfield dreams

of attempting to give away Nermal in an infomercial, but no one wants to

take him.



1 In the 2003 live-action film The Cat in the Hat, the cat performs an entire

talkshow-style infomercial spoof for a magical (but disastrous) cupcake

maker. In the spoof, the Cat plays the roles of host and guest/expert.



1 In the direct-to-video movie The Lion King 1½, Pumbaa sits on the remote

in mid-movie and the screen switches to a jewelry infomercial

from QVC.



1 The comedy duo Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim have produced several

infomercial parody segments that are showcased on their oddball comedy show Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!,

notably one for a CD-ROM-based version of the internet called the "Innernette". It

employs many of the cliched infomercial hallmarks and phrases such as enthusiastic demonstrations, and outlandish claims of

user satisfaction.https://store.theartofservice.com/the-infomercial-toolkit.html


1 "Weird Al" Yankovic parodied infomercials in the song Mr. Popeil, a homage to inventor and infomercial

spokesperson Ron Popeil, on his 1984 album "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (Popeil himself used the song in

some of his infomercials). Well known pitchmen like Popeil and Billy Mays

have been the inspiration for many of these parodies.



1 In the "Home-Cooked Eds" episode of the Cartoon Network series Ed, Edd &

Eddy, the Kanker Sisters decide to watch infomercials after taking over

Eddy's house in yet another misguided attempt at affectation.



1 Robot Chicken has parodied numerous infomercials, along with

their hosts. Popular examples include Billy Mays, Mick Hastie, and Cathy

Mitchell.



1 Adult Swim aired a highly elaborate parody of an infomercial, Paid Programming, several times in November 2009. The clearest

evidence that the parody, which advertised various fictional "Icelandic

Ultra Blue" products, was not real was the use of profanity and the fact

that Adult Swim does not air infomercials.



1 The ABC improvisation-comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? (U.S. TV

series) regularly satires infomercials in two of its segments. One is

"Greatest Hits", where the infomercial hosts (usually including

show regulars Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles) attempt to sell an album

of "greatest hits" about unlikely subjects, with songs mentioned usually sung by the other show

regular Wayne Brady. The other one concerns them trying to make useless junk seem desirable.


Infomercial - Political infomercials

1 In the United States the strategy of buying prime-time programming slots on major networks has been utilized by political candidates for

both presidential and state office to present infomercial-like programs to sell a candidate's merits to the public


Infomercial - 2008 Presidential Campaign Use

1 The combination of these networks reportedly drew a peak audience of over 33 million viewers of this half hour program, making it the single

most watched infomercial broadcast in the history of US television.


Infomercial - Children's programming

1 Although not meeting the definition of an infomercial per se, animated

children's programming in the 1980s and early 1990s, which included half-hour animated series for franchises

such as Transformers, My Little Pony, Go-Bots and Bravestarr were often described by media experts and

parents derisive of these types of series as essentially program-length commercials, as they also sold the

tie-in toy lines and food products for the shows within commercials


Infomercial - Daytime programming

1 In definition, these programs can be considered infomercials, albeit not exactly meeting the letter of the

definition.


Infomercial - Infomercial companies

1 Traditional infomercial marketers, for example, Guthy-Renker and

Telebrands, source the products, pay to develop the infomercials, pay for

the media, and are responsible for all sales of the product


Infomercial - Infomercial companies

1 In the brand infomercial business, services are often provided by full

service agencies who deliver strategy, creative, production, media,

and campaign services.


Infomercial - Use around the world

1 However, the term "infomercial" needs to be defined more universally

to discuss use in all countries



1 There are few structures that apply everywhere in the international infomercial business. The

regulatory environment in each country as well as that country's television traditions have led to variations in format, lengths, and rules for

long form commercials and television commercials selling direct to consumer. For example, in the early 1990s long form paid

programming in Canada was required to consist only of photographs without moving video. (This

restriction no longer exists).



1 Many products which started in the US have been taken into

international distribution on television. And, each country has

local entrepreneurs and marketers using the medium for local

businesses. What may be called infomercials are most commonly

found in North and South America, Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia.



1 In many countries, the infrastructure of direct response television distributors, telemarketing

companies and product fulfillment companies (shipping, customer

service) are more difficult and these missing pieces have limited the

spread of the infomercial.


Infomercial - Research on effectiveness

1 Based on a survey of 878 people who had bought products after viewing

infomercials, they found that infomercials were more effective if

they used expert comments, testimonials, product

demonstrations, and other approaches


Kevin Trudeau - Infomercials

1 All of his subsequent infomercials advertized his books Natural Cures They Don't Want You To Know About

and The Weight Loss Cure


WKBW-TV - Financial difficulties, cutbacks and infomercials

1 As the Great Recession set in at the start of 2008, ABC primetime and

syndicated early prime programming was often pre-empted with

infomercial|paid programming to make up lost revenue


Paid Programming - Products using infomercial marketing

1 Automobile dealerships, attorneys, and jewelers are among the types of businesses that air infomercials on a

local level.


Paid Programming - Products using infomercial marketing

1 Apple's use of the infomercial medium was immediately

discontinued with Steve Jobs' 1997 return to the helm of the company.


Paid Programming - Early infomercials

1 Eventually, limits imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the amount of advertising that could appear during an hour of

television did away with these programs, forcing sponsors into the

background; however, few infomercials, mainly those for

greatest hits record sets and Shop Smith power tools, did exist during the period when commercial time

was restricted.



1 It is quite possible that the first modern infomercial series which ran in North America was on San Diego, California|San Diego-area television

station XETV-TDT|XETV, which during the 1970s ran a one-hour television program every Sunday consisting of advertisements for local homes for

sale



1 Credited for coining the word infomercial was hospitality/entertainment impresario Paul

Ruffino, whose CineStar company was a pioneer in purchasing program-length commercial time.

The first infomercial as it is well known today aired in 1982. Entrepreneur Robert E. Murphy, Jr., looking to market a hair growth treatment reached out to a Chicago ad agency where he met Frank Cannella, who convinced broadcast stations and cable networks to sell time for his

format. The show was a hit.


Paid Programming - Political infomercials

1 In the United States, the strategy of buying prime-time programming slots on major networks has been utilized by political candidates for

both presidential and state office to present infomercial-like programs to sell a candidate's merits to the public


Paid Programming - Infomercial companies

1 Traditional infomercial marketers (for example, Guthy-Renker and

Telebrands) source the products, pay to develop the infomercials, pay for

the media, and are responsible for all sales of the product


Infomercials

1 The infomercial industry is worth over $200 billion


Infomercials

1 Hence, political speeches or political convention|conventions may be

derogatorily referred to as infomercials for a specific point of

view.[http://www.gmanews.tv/story/172527/premature-poll-campaign-law-cant-stop-infomercials Premature poll

campaign law can't stop infomercials] - 2007 © GMA Network

Inc.https://store.theartofservice.com/the-infomercial-toolkit.html

Suzanne Somers - Infomercials

1 Calling her a legend in the industry, On May 2, 2014, Direct Marketing

Response inducted Somers into the infomercial Hall of

Fame.[http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/may/02/shifting-market-shapes-

made-tv-market/]


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• https://store.theartofservice.com/the-infomercial-toolkit.html

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