Isn't it time to retire the infomercial parody?There's no doubt that cheesy infomercials are quite funny. Look at the popularity of the Snuggie or the outpouring of interest following the demise of Billy Mays. But really, how many advertisers must go the tired route of running fake-infomercial spots? Fred Willard is getting a second career out of it. Microsoft rented him for the Bingathon that ran on Hulu, and then he did a similar act for FedEx, as seen above. Below are three other examples: Colgate channeled the Slap Chop for its Wisp toothpick thing. Subaru is picking up the conceit with its "Outback Detergent" ad, as is Bud Light with the "Tailgate approved" stuff. It might be time for a break. Why not spoof cheesy local TV spots? Start with the Carmel Car Service ladies. —Posted by Brian Morrissey |
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Published on October 23, 2009 | Permalink
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Be hilarious! Go as Billy Mays on Halloween
Freshly deceased celebrities are always a big hit on Halloween. There's no shortage of them this year, but for any self-respecting advertising person, the choice is clear: You must go as Billy Mays, the infomercial king who died in June. It's a ridiculously easy costume to pull together, and the louder you get as the night goes on, the more realistic you will appear. The weird thing, however, is that Mays's son, also named Billy, who is honoring his father's memory on the Web site Where's Billy Mays?, is embracing the idea of Billy Mays Halloween costumes—and has even announced a Billy Mays "Hallow-clean Contest." God bless him. Here are the rules: |
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Published on October 23, 2009 | Permalink
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Sleevie helps you look great ... and do good
This week's honors for best fictitious brand go to the Sleevie, a garment whose capacious sleeves make it easier to expose your arm and thus donate blood. Looking like something an especially fashion-challenged Franciscan monk might wear, it's presented in a bogus infomercial by Austin, Texas, agency Door Number 3. "You want to donate blood, but rolling up you sleeves can be a real pain," says a voiceover, as we're shown the Sleevie as the solution to this age-old problem. The non-bogus idea here is to drum up blood donations to the Blood Center of Central Texas. —Posted by Mark Dolliver Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on October 16, 2009 | Permalink
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Billy Mays sells Chipotlaway from the graveInfomercial king Billy Mays, who died in June, was the star of Wednesday night's dead-celebrities episode of South Park. (After learning that Mays' soul is not at rest, Cartman vows to help.) In the clip above—a tribute to the man's ability to literally sell anything—Mays pitches a product called Chipotlaway (pronounced "Chipotle Away"), a laundry spray designed to get the blood stains out of your underwear after you eat Chipotle. Genius. Via YesButNoButYes. UPDATE: The Live Feed has posted Chipotle's response to the episode: "Being spoofed on South Park certainly says something about our popularity with that audience, but we didn’t have anything to do with the content. Some people will find it funny, others will not. But ultimately, being part of the pop culture conversation is probably a good thing." —Posted by Tim Nudd Previously on AdFreak: |
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Published on October 8, 2009 | Permalink
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Snuggie wearers at last can outfit their pets
After what has surely been an interminable wait, Snuggie fans can finally order mini Snuggies for their dogs. (You can probably put it on your cat, too, though you might lose some blood getting clawed in the process.) The advantages over a regular pet sweater are questionable (such sweaters "pull and they're tight," according to the infomercial), but it's not really as much about function as fashion. Via @woodlandalyssa. |
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Published on July 30, 2009 | Permalink
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The perfect gift for people who stink all over
Add Doc Bottom's Aspray to the list of products we hope are elaborate pranks, because we refuse to believe the market was crying out for a questionably named aerosol deodorant. A guy named Doc Bottom should be making toilet-seat covers or gay porn, not an all-over body spray. Still, kudos to that "contractor" for admitting on television that his butt stinks, though why anyone would be crouching down to smell it is beyond us. The product's Web site seems legit, though, so head over to customer service and ask why a grown man would call himself Doc Bottom. |
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Published on July 27, 2009 | Permalink
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Iconic TV pitchman Billy Mays is dead at 50He was the man with no inside voice, the man who seemed to be on every late-night cable channel at once, the man who comprehensively convinced us we don't need a cabinet full of cleaners. And now, sadly, infomercial icon Billy Mays is dead. Details were scarce Sunday, though there were apparently no signs of foul play, so that probably rules out the Yakuza gangsters who were stalking Mays in the hilarious self-parody above. It's always been hard to pin down what made Mays so good at selling cleaning products, dubiously necessary inventions and just about anything else. Was it the beard? The wildly gesticulating hands? The tone that straddled the line between evangelism and straight-out screaming? Obviously it was all of the above that catapulted Mays from hawking wares at local garden shows to reality TV stardom on the Discovery Channel's PitchMen. So here's to Billy Mays, a one-man sales juggernaut who, like
fellow commercial legend Ed McMahon, was never afraid to laugh at his own public persona. |
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Published on June 28, 2009 | Permalink
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Kush infomercial makes everyone feel good
I guess it would be impossible to make a breast-support sleeping aid that doesn't look or sound dirty, but Kush Support certainly could have tried harder. For a guy, watching the infomercial is like biting into a York Peppermint Patty. Still, a product like this could actually be helpful. Even though it was invented to help women sleep better and/or prevent cleavage lines and wrinkles, it's good for pregnant women whose breasts have swelled, or for women who've just had them enlarged, because it separates them well enough to encourage proper spinal alignment. From an advertising standpoint, they should have focused more on that and less on the close-ups of the attractive models' cleavage, since the target audience is women for whom breasts are no longer thrilling. Failing that, they could direct viewers to the Web site, where more practical product details are given. I'll go away now and do some more research on this. |
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Published on June 23, 2009 | Permalink
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The wait is over: Wipe your butt with a stick
I don't care what YouTube says, this infomercial for the "Comfort Wipe" can't be real. My mind won't allow it to be. For God's sake, it starts off by asking how much we're all sick of folding toilet paper, as if we would all nod our heads and agree that, yes, the whole process is a savage antiquity. We're then expected to accept that wiping with a fancy stick is a bold step forward in our personal sanitary habits. No. This is not right. A fat guy cannot cite "advantages" to being fat and in the same breath acknowledge that he needs help sanitizing his crevasse, at which point the voiceover says the product helps people retain their dignity. I keep looking for The Onion's logo in the corner, and it's not there. And I weep. —Posted by David Kiefaber |
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Published on June 12, 2009 | Permalink
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Ad for self-help CD is inadvertently uplifting
Today is quickly devolving into silly infomercial humor, but that's OK, because this "Cheers to You" spot from The Good Cheer Company, hawking affirmational CDs filled with eight tracks of "encouragement" and "cheering applause," is undeniably great. The acting is refreshingly wretched, and whoever shouts the "Hooray for you!" line at the end is a certified genius—you really can't tell if the guy's being just totally sincere and happy and positive or if he's secretly filled with disgust and loathing. The affirmative jewelry is pretty sweet, too. Via @woodlandalyssa. |
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Published on May 28, 2009 | Permalink
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Slap Chop remix may salvage Vince's career
It's good to know that Vince Shlomi of ShamWow fame can lay down a beat, and not just on Florida prostitutes. Actually, DJ Steve Porter deserves all the credit for this incredible remix of Shlomi's ad for the Slap Chop. I've been pretty impressed with the guys working on Auto-Tune the News, but this might be the best use of the voice modulator since T-Pain found it in a trunk labeled "1998" at Cher's garage sale. |
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Published on May 11, 2009 | Permalink
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If you need the Body Snake, you need help
The phrase "Body Snake" brings to mind all sorts of perverse imagery, but never fear—it's just a goofy sponge for people who are too fat and stupid to clean themselves. According to this infomercial, it eliminates stumbling and fumbling (and outright falling down) in the shower and is proudly made in America—as if any other people on earth would need a product like this. Seriously, if areas beyond your reach include your "bottom" and "between your legs," you need NutriSystem before any newfangled sponges. |
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Published on April 21, 2009 | Permalink
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ShamWow guy's ad future not looking good
There probably aren't many swifter ways to torpedo one's burgeoning career in infomercial superstardom than by getting into a punching match with a prostitute. That's allegedly what happened to Vince Shlomi, the fast-talking star of late-night commercials for ShamWow and (in retrospect, the unfortunately named) Slap Chop. The Smoking Gun has the details on Shlomi's arrest last month on a felony battery charge. (The charges have since been dropped.) ShamWow still has the Vince video up on its Web site; its unclear if the spots will remain on TV. |
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Published on March 30, 2009 | Permalink
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What is the ultimate 'As seen on TV' icon?
Since we have our own soft spot for bracketed tournaments here at AdFreak, we had to throw some love at CNBC's "As seen on TV" showdown. Readers have already thinned the herd of 64 late-night TV icons down to an Elite Eight, with relative newcomer ShamWow holding its own alongside veterans like the Clapper, the Chia Pet and the ThighMaster. (Bowflex, the No. 14 seed from the health-fitness region, is this year's George Mason: the only underdog in the Elite Eight. All the others are No. 1 or No. 2 seeds.) Voting to determine the Final Four ends tonight, so hustle over and make the tough call on crappy kitchen cookery: Ginsu knife or Foreman Grill? —Posted by David Griner |
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Published on January 23, 2009 | Permalink
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How Vince became an infomercial superstar
When I first saw Vince Offer in action, shilling ShamWows as if they were the manifest destiny of modern life, I didn't think much of it. But soon it seemed like everyone was talking about the aggressive indifference of "that ShamWow guy." Now, he's returned with Slap Chop (see the video below), a vegetable chopper that Vince promises will make you thinner, wealthier and an all-around better human being. Then again, he makes a lot of dubious promises, like, "You're gonna love my nuts!" Now that he wasn't just a one-hit wonder, I had to learn more about the man who could beat Billy Mays at his own game. Turns out Vince wrote and directed a 1999 flick called The Underground Comedy Movie, promoted with the promise that it was "guaranteed to offend everyone." Despite the star power of Joey Buttafuoco and Slash, the movie was a massive dud, and Vince returned to his previous life as a huckster selling cheap appliances. Then he got his hands on a ShamWow and a headset, boldly claiming his spot in the pantheon of TV pitchmen.
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Published on January 20, 2009 | Permalink
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