Infomercial

From ArticleWorld

An infomercial is paid programming designed in an educational format which describes the uses of a product in detail. Also included in infomercials are usually people who have tried the product being featured in the program who give testimonials of all that is has done for them in their lives. For example, often there is a infomercial with a direct marketing seminar, and usually that program includes statements from people taking vacations in places such as Hawaii or the Bahamas, standing by a beach and palm trees, or their beach house and state how that particular program changed their lives.

Examples

Most of the time these infomercials use catch phrases to hook the view in to the program. Also, throughout the program they encourage a response from the listener. For example, most people have heard of the George Foreman Grill, Cher, or Tony Robbins. These names often become popular as a result of someone featuring these products or people, including by way of the infomercial. Most people are impressed with these products as a result of viewing them on infomercial.

History

Infomercials started arising in the United States after 1984 when certain standards from the 1950s and 1960s regarding forms of TV advertising changed. Edward Valenti and Barry Beecher were primarily responsible for the initial development of the longer style commercial called the infomercial.

Besides advertising a product, business opportunity or service, infomercials have been effective for promoting an election campaign. The most memorable examples of candidate who have used infomercials for election campaigning was the one with Ross Perot and Running mate Pat Choate, for the Libertarian Party, and Presidential candidate Harry Brown in the year 2000.

Format

Since infomercials so often resemble closely the format of a regular television talk show or seminar, the response rate is generally very high. That is because the infomercials are usually scripted in a way that is very convincing to the audience.

Usually the main speaker in an infomercial has a charismatic personality who knows how to motivate people to think differently about their lives, and why the advertised product is so needed. This is what causes people to respond.

In some ways infomercials are more effective than short flashy commercials because they offer extensive information about a product-way more than in a commercial that last only 30 to 60 seconds. The time frame of an infomercial has other advantages as well, in that it requires a response from the viewer, versus other commercials that do not.

Usually the person can purchase the product or service right over the phone, with the duration of the infomercial giving them plenty of time to decide whether or not to purchase what is being offered. Furthermore, often infomercials are repeated every so often, so if the person missed it the first time chances are it will be on again, and it will give the person a chance to respond to the program.