Pitchmen - iCan Health Insurance + Awesome Auger

Pitchmen, June 3, 2009. Nothing really new this week. Did Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan run out of new product ideas? We've all seen both of the ads they focused on during Pitchmen today, iCan Health Insurance and Awesome Auger. Both great ads, and the Awesome Auger continues to be a huge DR hit as we roll into the summer months. I'm starting to question the results they claim on Pitchmen...each week, they seem to have one monster hit, but I haven't seen many of them show up on the rankings, or show up often on my television for that matter...So I'll just give you my raw opinion of the ads.
iCan Health Insurance: Pure genius. Getting Billy Mays involved in an insurance ad was a very creative idea. We have so many insurance options, and most of us are hesitant to trust a brand we're not familiar with. iCan smartly linked up with Billy to bring credibility to the company. Also, the positioning of the ad is ideal for our economic times...healthy insurance for everyone. I haven't seen this ad show up in the rankings, but I'm sure it will be a continued success if the business that backs it up is legitimate...or until our U.S. government starts to provide free insurance to everyone...


New Awesome Auger: Seasonal products don't work on DR. Power tools cannot be successful in a 2-minute infomercial. We've heard claims like these before, and, frankly, I'm surprised Billy took on this product in the first place. However, ever since its first airing, the Awesome Auger has been a steady hit each summer, and 2009 appears to be no different. Is it Billy's attention grabbing personality? Is it because of the powerful demos that make it look like your household drill can rip up even the toughest problems in your backyard? I'm not sure, but this is certainly one of those ads you can't turn off when it comes on. Expertly done, and very compelling...not that I'll ever buy an Auger, but I still love the entertainment value of the ad...