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Lessons from the Past: Infomercials — The Only TV Advertising Viewers Chose to Watch
I wrote the following in 2004 then discovered Claude Hopkins’ book Scientific Advertising from the early 20th century. I was struck by how what he had learned was so similar to the lessons I had just written about. A recent Hopkins discussion on Twitter led me to resurrect the article. Of course, 30 minute infomercials are on a slow slide into oblivion. But we should never forget that: Infomercials were the only TV advertising that consumers chose to watch. When a consumer sees a TV spot, they’ve chosen to watch the show in which it’s aired. Not so with infomercials. We had to create 30 minute shows which would first, and foremost, DRAW viewers then hold on to them. Had no one watched infomercials, it wouldn’t matter. But, consumers stopped and watched infomercials in massive numbers. These infomercials led them to spend billions — some directly but the far bigger amount (10x-20x) in the store. You’ve probably not given infomercials even a passing thought for a decade or so. But here are nine (9) lessons brand advertisers should to learn from infomercial experience based on my over 20 years planning, creating and studying this advertising form. While people stopped because they like learning about products, let’s take our first lessons from why people stay tuned. 1. Consumers respond to advertising that helps them make smart purchase decisions. In research, consumers complain about the lack of information at retail stores. They laugh at the idea that traditional advertising helps them make purchasing decisions. And, while the […] The post Lessons from the Past: Infomercials — The Only TV Advertising Viewers Chose to Watch first appeared on Doug Garnett’s Blog.
