August 30, 2010

Pitchmen, Sept 2, 2010: Fridge Locker vs. Rx Locker vs. ShaveMate

Pitchmen Review, Sept 2, 2010.   Check out videos from this week's Pitchmen episode starring Anthony Sullivan.

Update: Pitchmen has been delayed until Q1 2011. This episode will air in January or February.

Fridge Locker Infomercial:


Rx Locker, with Dr. Drew Pinsky, on The View:


ShaveMate Infomercial:

August 25, 2010

EZ Stringer. Never take off your sweatpants again!

EZ Stringer.  The recession is hitting all of us pretty hard.  The one positive I've experienced is that I've been able to wear sweatpants more often.  What used to be the norm only for a jog along Lakeshore Drive has now become my most consistent fashion.  Taco Bell doesn't care if I'm wearing sweatpants as I go through the drive-thru.  Netflix still delivers movies to me....they don't care if I'm wearing pants at all!  The more you wear sweatpants, the more comfortable they get.  Then one day...the drawstring comes out in the wash, and your perfectly conditioned sweatpants are now useless.

My only solution is to gain 50 pounds so the pants hold themselves up....until now!  Introducing EZ Stringer...the easy way to restring your drawstrings.  I honestly can't believe no one has thought of this before!  So I'm off to dumpster dive for my cherished sweatpants...I miss them....

Check out the infomercial if you haven't seen it already:

Email Readers CLICK HERE!

August 24, 2010

Time Magazine's Top 25 Funniest Infomercials of All Time

Check out this link to see the entire list.  Topping the list are two of my favorites, the Hawaii Chair and the Tiddy Bear.  There are some recent spots that show up on the list as well: Cami Secret, Shake Weight for Men, and more.  You can see videos of each of the infomercials here.

Pitchmen, August 26, 2010. Clean Sweep vs. Secure Sleeve vs. Select-A-Wrench

08/26/10 Pitchmen.  On this week's Pitchmen episode, we see Anthony Sullivan testing three very different products:   OnTel Products' Clean Sweep, the latest successor to the Swivel Sweeper.  ID Stronghold's Secure Sleeve, a unique protection device to keep identity thieves away from your credit card numbers.  And, a young inventor's Select-A-Wrench.

Clean Sweep.  The Swivel Sweeper has been a huge success for OnTel Products and for Anthony Sullivan.  To date, they have sold well over 20MM units worldwide.  The company has toyed with minor changes to the product in an attempt to keep the marketing campaign alive, but the Clean Sweep is there first real change in years.  It combines microfiber with the Swivel Sweeper sweeping action.  Look for this to awaken a tired brand, especially with the PR help of the Discover Channel's Pitchmen.

ID Stonghold's Secure Sleeve.  Eh?  Have you ever heard of someone having their identity stolen from a passerby?  If you have to explain the problem, then the infomercial will never convince the consumer to pick up the phone and place an order.  They'll wait to hear it on the news or from a friend firsthand.  It's starting to look like Sully is accepting any product for Pitchmen as long as the client has money.  Can you effectively use Pitchmen as a PR vehicle for your product, even if the infomercial, by itself, has little chance of success?  I guess we'll have to wait and see.  They claimed a super-successful test market, but I haven't been able to see the spot anywhere...have any of you had any luck?  Other than a few small news stories that have already been commented on?  On 9/2/10, we'll see two more products that are clearly being marketed via Pitchmen rather than being able to stand on their own, Fridge Locker and RX Locker.  I'll discuss them in more detail next week.

Check out the product's website HERE.

Select-A-Wrench.  Great tear-jerking story about a young kid with passion and a pretty good idea.  Sounds like we'll have to wait a couple of years to see if it's going to work....not sure why....

You can see many of Sully's and Pitchmen's successes and failures HERE:

August 23, 2010

Sully Store. Buy Pitchmen Anthony Sullivan's products.

Sully Store.  Many of my readers are huge Pitchmen and Anthony Sullivan fans.  I receive a constant stream of emails asking where to review Sully's products.  He has finall set up a website with all his successful products.  Here's a link to the site, "Sully's Store." As of today, the link includes the following products, and he's adding more daily. 

  • Ba'Noodle
  • Cold Fire (First aired 8/19/10)
  • Omni DualSaw (First aired during the 2009 Pitchmen season)
  • EZstringer
  • Fridge Locker (Airs 9/2/10)
  • Grill Glove
  • HexLight (First aired 8/19/10)
  • Jupiter Jack (First aired during the 2009 Pitchmen season)....9MM units sold to date!
  • Mighty Thirsty (First aired 8/19/10)
  • ShaveMate
  • Smart Mop (An old Sully favorite!)
  • Tater Tornado
  • Clean Sweep (The latest Swivel Sweeper introduction, hopefully it will be added soon!)
Generally, you can see the latest Pitchmen winners posted on the day that Pitchmen airs on the Discovery channel.  I'll continue to update this post as new products are added.

August 14, 2010

Pitchmen: ColdFire vs. HexLight

Cold Fire vs. Hexlight: Pitchmen Prediction.  Sadly, Billy Mays is no longer with us as the 2nd season of  Pitchmen begins airing on The Discovery Channel August 19, 2010.  Anthony Sullivan is back in full force, and begins with his now infamous 2 product pitch-off format.  In this season premiere, Cold Fire is pitted against Hexlight.

Fire prevention vs. a new flashlight.  Hmmm.....normally prevention products don't sell well on TV, but Cold Fire broke through.  Hexlight, on the other hand, is in the midst of clutter on TV with several "unique" flashlights being tested.  Jordan Pine wrote a great explanation on why the fourth to market rarely succeeds on TV, especially when flashlights have been tested without success.  Can this be the first to really make it this year...unlikely.  Even on the Pitchmen TV show, where exaggeration is the norm, they claimed that first year sales are expected to hit $3MM.  In the infomercial world, that means it will be relegated to catalogs and web campaigns.  Check out Jordan's article HERE.

Cold Fire, on the other hand, is the first to the infomercial market in the fire extinguisher category.  Normal fire extinguishers are difficult to operate and they leave behind a toxic residue.  Cold Fire is as easy to operate as a can of hairspray (although I've found that hairspray is not nearly as effective at extinguishing fires...).  Every home in America should have at least one fire extinguisher, and the alternative to Cold Fire is usually more expensive....so why shouldn't this work?...especially, with the now famous Anthony Sullivan as the Pitchman, Cold Fire should be one of the more successful infomercials of 2010.


Check out the Cold Fire infomercial HERE.


Check out the HexLight infomercial HERE.

Looking for all the Pitchmen winning products?  Check out Anthony Sullivan's web store for Cold Fire and many others:

August 9, 2010

Slim T's. Be fat and look slim!

Slim T's.  Weight loss infomercials have always been a favorite of mine.  Diet pills help you burn calories and lose weight without changing your donut-filled diet.  Sure, you'll feel jittery all day, but that's better than feeling fat all day, right?  Besides, diet pills worked wonders for Anna Nicole Smith!  Infomercials for ab exercise devices promise ripped abs in only minutes a day.  They don't mention the fact that you probably need to lose the 70 pounds of jelly belly around your midsection before anyone will be able to see a hint of a six pack, no matter how many stomach crunches or ab circles or tummy twists you do.  P90X, Insanity, Windsor Pilates, Tai Bo and countless other DVDs probably do work if you can stick to their impossible routines.  I tried P90X, but, like all you other fatties out there, I only lasted a couple of weeks.  It sounded so simple....90 days to a tight and firm body.  I was smart enough to realize that watching the DVDs wasn't enough, but I didn't realize that I would be in so much pain after my first P90X workout that I wouldn't be able to get out of bed the next morning.  Then, I read the instructions, and the promised weight loss only seemed to come about if you stuck to their rigid diet of celery and $60 protein powder.

Ugh!  Weight loss just isn't as easy as infomercials promise.  Until now!  Introducing Slim T's...the revolutionary way to not appear sloppy and fat without having to go on any crash diet, killer workout routines or dangerous drug regimens.  Simply squeeze into this 11 year old boy sized wife beater Slim T and voila!, you can instantly see your feet...even if you can't feel them anymore as the blood rushes to your heart in full survival mode as your gut is squeezed through to your spine.  Sounds painful...but I assume they feel like the ladies' counterpart, the Kymaro Body Shaper...which actually isn't that bad.  And, as a side benefit, there is no way to fit a cheeseburger AND a milkshake in your belly wearing one of these tight shirts.  Other side benefit...you can still wear your 1976 Nike tank top and no one will see your Slim T hiding securely below.


Email Readers Click Here to See the INFOMERCIAL!