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?