Don't think for a moment that the age of infomercial products is behind us.
Yes, you might be skipping right past the commercials as you watch your favorite video content. However, people are still buying George Foreman Grills, Shake Weights, Ped Eggs, Snuggies, and Nutrisystem shakes, and many ridiculous inventions by the millions.
Infomercials began in 1949 after Vitamix televised a program promoting their blender. The world has never looked back.
Infomercials are deceptively clever, and they are designed to convince you that you can't live without the product. Unfortunately, in most cases, the initial excitement of buying the product ends up collecting dust in your house with no one bothering to use it.
An average infomercial will ridiculously exaggerate the usefulness of the product to get your attention. After all, these folks have only a short time to get your attention and convince you to buy the product.
However, a few infomercials have stood out for one reason or another, and here are some of them.
1. Rejuvenique Electric Facial Mask
This horrifying mask offers promises to reduce facial wrinkles. It manages to do so by "exercising" the facial muscles.
That's scary stuff.
A user claimed that wearing the mask felt like a thousand ants were biting their face.
2. P90X
With annual revenue of over $400 million, this fitness product has been a raging success with few equals. Clearly, Tony Horton made the right decision by leaving his career as a standup comedian to become a personal trainer.
3. ThighMaster
This product promises to get rid of the flab and give you a fantastic body. However, this ridiculous, butterfly-shaped product sold due to Suzanne Somer's great personality and beautiful face.
The ThighMaster sold like crazy in the '70s, and they made enough cash to buy Suzanne a house called "ThighMaster Mansion."
4. Sock Slider
A lot of people have cracked jokes about the Sock Slider because they think this product represents the epitome of laziness. Obviously, it's ridiculous for a grown, able-bodied person to use it to put on socks.
However, although the infomercial is as corny as you would expect, it is actually a very important product for people with disabilities or limited mobility.
5. Comfort Wipe
If holding a toilet paper in your hand after using the washroom is too uncomfortable for you, you could get yourself the Comfort Wipe, a ridiculous claw that will hold the toilet paper for you.
6. Showtime Rotisserie
The small rotisserie oven has sold over 2 million units, earning more than $1.2 billion in sales. Ron Popeil was set for life after coming up with this invention.
7. Total Gym
When Chuck Norris paired with Christie Brinkley to promote Total Gym, they helped it make over $1 billion in sales. It might be a great fitness product, but clever infomercials have made it a bigger hit than most of its competitors.
8. ShamWow
ShamWow cloths are able to hold 20 times their weight in liquid, which is eye-popping. They are also washable and bleachable, which means they can be used for years.
9. GLH Hair System
Are you balding but still want to look youthful? Of course you do.
Luckily, GLH was made with you in mind. GLH is short for Great Looking Hair, a spray-on.
It's fun to watch people having it applied to their heads.
10. Doc Bottoms Aspray
If you didn't manage to get a shower before leaving the house and don't smell too good, you can use this spray and target particular "odor zones" to kill off the bacteria that causes the "beastly butt odor."
11. Snuggie
People like to call the Snuggie a "blanket with sleeves." The product was pushed down people's throats using hilarious infomercials.
In the end, more than 20 million Snuggies were sold, representing over $400 million in sales.
12. Slap Chop
To be honest, the Slap Chop is not too dumb, but the fact that it is advertised by Vince Shlomi is a little unsettling. The man scolds viewers while promoting the brilliant salad maker.
13. Relief Wrap
This product will heat and massage you at the same time. You have to wear it over the shoulder, and it connects at the front using magnets.
14. Tiddy Bear
Seat belts are not very comfortable, are they? However, with Tiddy Bear, a small adorable little bear that can be attached to your seat belt, it can offer you some comfort.
Sounds made up but this is actually real, and the product was very popular.
15. Ped Egg
Ped Egg has made over $450 million in sales. It scrubs away dead skin and calluses, and over 40 million people have bought it today.
16. Hawaii Chair
This special chair can help you lose weight and attain a trimmer figure. It is modeled after the hula dances. It also looks quite ridiculous, to be honest.
17. George Foreman Grill
With annual revenue of $202 million, the George Foreman Grill has been one of the greatest infomercial products ever. For lending his name to the product, the former boxer earned $137.5 million.
18. Mighty Putty
This was the adult version of Silly Putty, and they promised that it could seal leaks in an instant and attach to metal, glass, wood and help pull 80,000-pound trucks.
19. Wearable Towel
The traditional towel is so inconvenient. Even after tying it around yourself before walking out of the shower, it can still fall off.
The Wearable Towel is both fashionable and functional, and it can be worn in many ways so you can dry off comfortably and in style.
20. Bowflex
Although Bowflex was introduced back in 1986, it has gone on to sell millions of units. These days, the product is getting a lot of competition from the likes of P90X.
21. Shake Weights
This vibrating free weight was described as the solution to the endless battles people have with their weights. The Shake Weight should help you build muscle as you stand there looking like an idiot.
22. Nutrisystem Plans
This weight loss program promises to help you lose weight fast and effectively. Nutrisystem has pushed their products using elaborate testimonials that have successfully convinced the world they know the secret to weight loss.
23. Proactiv
There are lots of great acne systems in the market, which means Proactiv is not vastly more effective than any other competing product. However, celebrity endorsements from the likes of Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Katy Perry, and Justin Beiber have made it earn about $1 billion in sales each year.
24. Ginsu Steak Knives
These '70s products were advertised as tools that could cut through anything like butter without getting blunt. Ironically, there was nothing Japanese about the knives, and there was nothing exceptional about them compared to regular knives.
25. Bark Off
Dog collars had to go. They were upsetting dogs, and the humane and natural solution to this problem was the Bark Off, a product that could eliminate the barking problem in dogs.
The product had humane ultrasonic waves that were only audible to dogs. However, instead of making dogs quiet, it made them more anxious without actually stopping the barking.
26. The Clapper
For only $20, you can switch things on or off with a simple clap. This product actually started 30 years ago, and today, you can easily turn electronics on or off with a simple clap.
It's a godsend for all lazy people, but a functional necessity for people with mobility issues.
27. Flex Tape
For some people, the Flex Tape is a must-have. This tape can waterproof and seal practically everything, thanks to its powerful bonding.
Apparently, this tape will even work underwater.
28. Pajama Jeans
Pajama Jeans were introduced as a solution for people who had trouble finding pants that fit them properly. It might be a miss if you love fitting jeans,j though.
29. Squatty Potty
Although this product looks like a ridiculous gag gift, some people seem to think it has plenty of benefits to offer. The Squatty Potty is supposed to help get things going the next time you enter the toilet, as the unicorn demonstrates.
30. Ove Glove
You can ditch the awkward oven mitt and get the Ove Glove to protect you from temperatures of up to 540 degrees F, making it the perfect companion for baking, grilling, and handling campfires.
Want To Create A Killer Infomercial?
Maybe we are talking about infomercials and how corny and ridiculous they can get while you are there wondering how you can make a great infomercial for your product.
These days, content is king. That means your description of the product will determine how well it will sell.
If you are good at describing something, you can make people crazy about regular things like fruits and kitchenware. All you have to do is make these everyday things seem like they could solve all the problems in your customers' lives.
The first step is ensuring that your product appears like a solution to a common problem, which is why you should describe the problem first and even go to the lengths of explaining why it needs to be solved instantly for life to go on peacefully.
Secondly, you have to present your product as the ultimate solution that makes everything alright with the world. However, make sure that your customers know what a great bargain they are getting and how incredibly better your product is compared to what your competition offers.
Lastly, add a clear and immediate call to action, and while at it, let your customer know how quickly the product or the special offer might run out.
Of course, you should not oversell the product, as that will put off genuine customers. That is why you should personalize the infomercial with testimonials and research.
The Takeaway
As you can see, most infomercial products might seem incredibly cheesy, but they still sell like crazy.
You would think that most people would have figured out by now that they only use most of these products for a short while before realizing they don't need them after all. Fortunately, some of the infomercial products prove to be incredibly useful.
