can anyone tell me when “as seen on tv” became a marketing technique? why exactly would the fact that the product “was seen on tv” be a selling point to convince me to purchase it anyway?
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OFF:People still buy things through infomercials? I watch those when I need some comedy.
ON: The as seen on tv products are too gimmicky and only few of them really work (e.g Magic Bullet) AND are actually useful. The fact that the product got its tv time makes it worth buying, I guess. NOT.
That “As Seen on TV” logo is a warning to stay as far away from that product as possible, in my opinion.
I get the impression some people are skeptical of buying stuff on tv because they can’t return it easily. My understanding is the appeal of “As Seen On TV” is that you can buy the item and bring it back easily for a refund if there’s issues.
Doesn’t make me want to buy it any more than I did sitting on my couch, but some folks might see it as an advantage, I guess.
My mother actually sent me one of these a couple of years ago, and it was awful! I didn’t have room for it and my husband said the eggs didn’t taste right when cooked that way. I never even tried to make anything else with it and got rid of it with a boxful of other kitchen stuff on Freecycle!
I think it’s something to do with the fact they can churn out details about it on the TV – where you’ve seen it and thoguht “yeah.. i like that” and it’s basically a reminder? Can’t get as much detail in print as on TV? But its likely a number of reasons.
~Rose.
1990?
(that was an honest answer.. *lol* I believe it was 1990 that they started using this marketing tool)
greetings from the netherlands!