Some products can be successfully pitched to the public through the usual 30 second commercials inserted into prime time programming. Others, however, may require a little more explanation or promotion in order to appeal to a niche market. Instead of producing a standard print ad or 30 second spot, some companies use a long form video format known as an infomercial. An infomercial is generally a combination of information about the product and a promotional commercial.
An infomercial can be scripted in a number of ways, depending on the nature of the product and the buying habits of its intended demographic. Some infomercials duplicate the format of a television talk show, with either a recognized television personality or a skilled actor portraying a host. The product is usually presented as the topic of an extended interview with the inventor or other "expert." Between interview segments, a more traditional television spot gives viewers more specifics on the product's price and ordering method.
Although a number of modern infomercials have found mainstream acceptance, the infomercial format still has some challenges to face. The claims made about a product in an infomercial, for example, are not always examined as rigorously as claims made during a television news interview. An infomercial can be an effective form of advertising, especially for niche market products.
Infomercials have some advantages over the mainstream advertisements - since they are normally long form, they have the advantage to overcome the obstacles of selective retention. Also they create an environment where the audience is absorbed to make an impulse purchase. At the same time, the infomercials are expensive, risks are higher and the products can be assumed to be cheap.
Questions
What are the benefits and negatives of using infomercial?
Is this form of advertising suited only for certain products/services?
What is the future of infomercial?
I have never understood how infomercials are so successful. Personally I have never bought any products but I think growing up we owned a set of Ginsu knifes. Infomercial products seem to be targeting low-end novelty items that are “impulse purchases” for consumer. The most interesting thing about the article was the fact that Telebrands has been able to create a real brand with “As seen on TV”. They have taken generic, short-lived products and penetrated major retailers by leveraging the “As seen on TV” brand. I’m not certain the future of infomercials but I think they are here to stay especially with many large corporations shifting advertising dollars from television to the web. This will drive additional pressure on cable networks to find new advertisers (like Pajama Jeans!)
ReplyDeleteMost of the products advertised through Infomercial are house hold things which is needed and attracts the women. The promotion claims its competetive price and cheap but the quality of the products are not upto the standards. The infomercial are now common in asian countries. These infomercial will exist and grow in future because there are so many woman are religiously follow these commercials.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that infomercials are not as popular as your regular 30-60 second commercial, but they do hold their own nontheless in regard to the market/audience that they currently target-- For example, The Home Shopping network is very successful, and in fact I understand that there is a very rigorious process to get your product "featured" on that network, and those that do post very high sales. Also, look at the popularity of Billy Blaine-- infomercials basically made him a celebrity. I believe that this type of advertising will never overtake the traditional 30-60 second spots that we are accustomed to, but it is my opinion that we could possibly see more of this type of advertising in the future. Now go and buy a Shamwow! :)
ReplyDeleteThe effect of the infomercial on the customer in the asian countries is the same as soaps would haveon couch potatoes. The informercial can be delivering half truths and harping on certain keywords that the advertiser believes are the influencing factors to buy a product. For example, being fair is one of the expectations of nubile youth in India. There was a legal battle fought for a product which said that girls become more eligible if they were fairer for marriage. ie. boys preferred to get married to girls who were fairer.
ReplyDeleteDue to this case, they have started looking for other reasons to buy.. They have discovered that men/boys are also using creams to be more successful in their career.Infomercials have several tall claims and talk about indian medicinal content which do not have any side effects whatsoever. Several leading brands have their wars fought using third party reviews that compare the brands and say how a health drink will make you taller, stronger, sharper. Or how by using a shampoo, your Hair will grow longer and the list goes on.
Culture specific aspects need to be dealt with in infomercial and the advertiser should have the right knowledge of the psychography and demography of where the informercials are aired.
These take the filler slots, have dubbed voices in local languages and are more comical. However, familiar infomercials can influence a family when they are in a mall/exhibition where duplicate products are displayed for a cheper price.
For quite some time I thought that informercials would hardly be succesul in its target viewers. However, I was surprised to learn that for some products it was just as successful as the 3-seconds commerical if not more. I think informercials could succeed more in certain products especially skin care products, with certain celebrities, a focused group of customers, and sometimes physicians involved in developing the formulas to illustrate the scientific ground on which the products are developed. Fitness products could also be successful by informercilas. The lengthy advertising affects viewers psychologically, prompting them to purchase. Informercial is an effective marketing strategy for some products.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article Sethu.
ReplyDeleteLet me try your first question – What are the benefits/negatives of using commercials.
The benefits of infomercials are very obvious. Firstly, because these commercials are much longer compared to conventional commercials the advertiser has more time to convey the value proposition. The product’s features can be repeatedly discussed and demonstrated. This is simply not an option within the time constrains of a 30 second commercial. Another advantage of the infomercial is that it allows the manufacture to skip the costs associated with the supply chain by shipping the product directly to the consumer. The manufacturer can avoid the costs associated with intermediaries. Finally, the most important benefit of the infomercial is that if properly constructed, the message remains in the consumer’s consciousness longer than conventional commercials. Characters like Billy Mays (Oxyclean) , Vince (Slap Chop/ Sham Wow) and Tony little resonate in popular culture. Because these characters create a celebrity of their own people are less likely to forget the product.
In terms of negatives, the primary drawback of infomercials is their price. Considering the infomercial is typically 30 minutes the cost will be significantly higher than a 30 second spot. A second potential drawback of infomercials is that the product risks becoming tacky or cliché. Because infomercials are frequently the subject of ridicule even the most valuable products risk loosing value.