Thomas Burke, president of the Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising infomercial division, once said that the infomercials “are the most powerful form of advertising ever created”. Perhaps what Suzanne Somers did for the Thighmaster provides clear evidence as to why this form of advertising works, and which is why you will find specialized products such as the grill daddy all the way to the most basic household products using this method to create awareness.
Almost everyone knows how big this industry is as more and more television channels resorted to cutting back of television programming for paid advertisements as a way to bring revenues back up during the recession.
At another level altogether, with half an hour of programming devoted to these infomercials and the unmitigated success that they continue to enjoy, you can imagine how many ideas for a new revolutionary product is directed at those who offer these products these days – sadly, most of them not being so marketable.
So why does a product such as the ding king work as opposed to others?
Here are three reasons why:
Reason #1: Does the product solve a common problem?
Normally, these products fill the need to resolve a certain problem that has not been provided by the normal consumer market. And it has to be a simple solution.
Reason #2: Is it reasonably priced?
People won’t buy what you are offering if it isn’t very different from what is being offered is very different from what you will get elsewhere. Yet even if the product does solve a common problem, people are still very careful about how much they will pay for the product.
Reason #3: Product should be easy to explain and demonstrate
When you have a product such as a car scratch remover, even if it satisfies the first three reasons to succeed, the product should be easy to explain through the form of an infomercial. If that’s not possible, then the entire purpose is defeated.