New Spots of the Week

I dug up some brand new ads that I'm sure you haven't seen yet...and probably won't see. As a service to you, I stayed up late watching TV every night this week, and found some pretty funny ads. Please don't tell my boss. LovRub is an...how do I say it...enhancement product for men and women. I will not be trying this product out, so please don't ask me for a review. But, I love the ad. It looks like it was shot by my cousin Stanley. Notice how they never really say what the product does...it's the exact opposite of nearly all infomercials, but I guess they don't have a choice when selling a product like this.

My second favorite "New Spot of the Week" is Sleep Video. We all know that the healthiest way to fall asleep is to watch TV until you can't keep your eyes open anymore. Just to prove this point, I watched cable TV until 4am last night and finally dozed off during a re-run of Chuck Norris' "Walker, Texas Ranger"...or was it Chuck Norris' The Total Gym...I don't know. The only thing I know for sure is that I had some pretty crazy dreams about Chuck Norris before I woke up at 7am this morning, wide-eyed and ready to tackle the day. The Sleep Video helps ensure that you watch something relaxing until you can't keep your eyes open anymore. This one, I may just have try out...

My final "New Spot of the Week" is "Secured Gold Buyers." The ad isn't really funny, but I think it solves the biggest problem with all the other gold buying companies. This company actually video tapes the person opening your package and weighing your gold so you know he's not pocketing your precious jewelry that you were so willing to send via First Class Mail to a random address in Duluth. Look for a post in the next few weeks, as I'm bagging up a gold bracelet that my high school boyfriend gave me...sorry Bobby! BTW, I just found the "I Hate the Snuggie Club" on Facebook. Very funny. How could you hate a blanket that comes with free sleeves?

Billy Mays on Jay Leno

I'm normally quicker to catch things like this, but a couple weeks back, Billy Mays appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It's a rare chance to catch Billy in his original, off-the-cuff ways. You can tell that a lot of this is unscripted, and that's where Billy's at his finest! Over the past 18 months, Billy Mays has had a lot of successes, and this is a fun way to see them all. If you've ever wondered what infomercials would be like if they were written by Shakespeare (which I wondered every time I fell asleep in my English Literature class in undergrad), this video link is the answer.

Billy Mays also did a promo video for "Livemercial," a consummate "DR" company. It's a spoof on The Office...which just happens to be my favorite TV show. What a perfect combination! This link hasn't gotten that many hits...it's a bit cheesy...but for people like us, there a few YouTube videos that are more appropriate. Perhaps more importantly, though the video isn't the funniest I've seen (nothing like the Tiddy Bear or the "In a Snuggie" music video from my previous entries), it satisfies my curiosity, if only slightly, to see what it would be like to work in one of the companies behind this glorious industry...I know this is a spoof, but if you pay very close attention, you can see some of the real work going on in the background. If you're like me, and you've glamourized in your mind how exciting it would be to work in one of these companies, perhaps you shouldn't watch this video...I'll leave that decision up to you...

BTW, I've finally added an email link so you can email me your questions and comments. I'll be sure to post the most creative.

Ellen Degeneres Infomercial Products

OK. I admit it. I LOVE Ellen! She's just one of those people that is naturally funny. She makes it look easy. I was watching her show a while back and saw a great review that she did on infomercial products. Watch it 'til the end. She has a great new invention that she came up with herself. In fact, if anyone can come up with a funnier invention, shoot me a photo or a video along with a quick description. I'll post the funniest one and pay you $100 bucks (clearly I'm not in the blogging business to make money...I just want to make you happy!). Check out Ellen's video:

Tiddy Bear

Some products are too good to be true....or at least too funny to be true. Luckily for me, the Tiddy Bear is a real product. It seems like a Saturday Night Live skit, but this product is real. You have to watch this ad. Let me know what you think:

ShamWOW!

"Made in Germany. You know the Germans always make good stuff!" Possibly my favorite line from a DRTV spot. I suppose if it were made in China, he would say, "Made in China, but it's not as bad as the rest of the crap they make over there." You've probably tried this product. If you're a true As Seen On TV Fan, then how could you have missed the ShamWOW phenomenon. The host is Vince Offer. He actually owns the company, and got his start hawking products at home shows and fairs across the country. Check out his bio on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_Offer

Billy Mays started the same way, so I guess he's in good company. The interesting thing is that the ShamWOW was a HUGE success where Billy Mays' identical product, Zorbeez, was lackluster. Check out this video spoof that compares the two ads. I guess Vince is the winner because he's just so lovable?

Yes, I did buy the ShamWOW. Yes, I tried it. But, I'm hesitant to share my review here. The ad was so good, that the product will continue to be a success, but I wasn't a huge fan of the product's performance. It picked up spills pretty well, but it wasn't as incredible as Vince makes it look. I actually prefer using microfiber towels that I picked up on QVC (I'll post the link as soon as I can find it...). I rate this product as a 5 out of 10. Better than paper towels, but not the best chamois product on the market.

There are literally thousands of spoofs of the ShamWOW spot...I searched long and hard, and this is the funniest I've found...ShamWOW in the Middle East:

A distant second place, but still entertaining. This is a more realistic depiction of how well the ShamWOW works. Warning, when you watch this video, try to look away from the guy's nose. I'm hoping that's some kind of weird piercing, but it looks more like something gross on his right nostril. Someday, I'll have the technology to edit that kind of stuff out.

I know you've seen the original ad, but to be consistent, I have to include it in my post. Many are calling this spot the best in the past decade. What do you think?