There are all types of pitchmen in direct-response marketing.  Billy Mays, Anthony Sullivan, and even Vince Offer (better known as “The Sham-Wow Guy”) have all become celebrities in their own right, simply by virtue of being top infomercial pitchmen. Other pitchmen are famous for promoting their own products:  Ron Popeil, Jack LaLanne, Richard Simmons, Susan Powter, Matthew Lesko, and Richard Sherer (the Video Professor) take the airwaves to sell their own programs and inventions.   Infomercial exercise videos have launched their own field of stardom with fitness experts including Billy Blanks, Shaun T, and Chalean Johnson selling challenging exercise routines to devoted fans.

Long before pitchmen became famous simply for being the visible, personable face of an infomercial product, marketers knew the importance of using a famous face to endorse their products.  Before pitchmen became celebrities, celebrities became pitchmen.

Stardom sells, and the following lists includes some of the most famous faces to launch infomercial celebrity endorsements.

• Models – Cindy Crawford (Meaningful Beauty), Christie Brinkley (Total Gym), Daisy Fuentes (Winsor Pilates), Vanessa Williams (ProActiv), Elle Macpherson (ProActiv)
• Athletes – George Foreman (George Foreman Grill and Everyday and More Cleaner), Hulk Hogan (Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill)
• MMA – Chuck Liddell (JackRack), Georges St. Pierre (Rip60), Randy Couture (Tower 200)
• Actors/Actresses – Chuck Norris (Total Gym), Mario Lopez (Ultraflex), Barry Williams/”Greg Brady” (TimeLife70′s Music Explosion), Susan Lucci (Malibu Pilates)
• Singers/Musicians – Jessica Simpson (ProActiv), Katy Perry (ProActiv), Justin Bieber (ProActiv)

As I look through this list, I’m noticing that ProActiv Acne Solution really seems to have a corner on the celebrity pitchman market.  I mean, who doesn’t sell this stuff?  Just for fun, I’ll go ahead and post a list of Celebrities with Formerly Bad Skin who’ve appeared in ProActiv commercials:

• Julianne Hough – Dancing with the Stars
• Jenna Fischer – The Office
• Alyssa Milano – Who’s the Boss, Charmed
• Vanessa Williams – singer, actress, model, disgraced former Miss America
• Justin Bieber – singer
• Jessica Simpson – singer
• Katy Perry – singer
• Alicia Keys – singer
• Mandy Moore – singer, actress
• Jennifer Love Hewitt – actress
• Kelly Clarkson – American Idol, singer
• Avril Lavigne – singer

Celebrity endorsements lend a familiar face to the infomercial pitch, giving television viewers a sense of trust and a brush with fame.  After all, infomercial products are designed to make our lives easier, and if it’s good enough for those accustomed to a life of luxury and the finer things, shouldn’t it be good enough for us?

Cupid Versus As Seen On TV Gift Giving

Another Valentine’s Day is recently gone by, and in these first few days following the Celebration of Love, millions of men are breathing a sigh of relief that they are off the hook for another year.  Millions more are trying to figure out how to wire the dog house for basic essentials like heat, ESPN, and Cinemax.  While we feel strongly that some amazing innovations can be discovered through as seen on TV marketing, we also understand that choosing the perfect expression of your love from an infomercial may not be the quickest route to your sweetie’s heart.  Even if the infomercial product itself is an amazingly effective and revolutionary device, there are certain items one only buys for oneself, and buying them as a romantic gift may precipitate your residency in Fido’s home.

As a public service to you, we at Seen on TV Express present some as seen on TV items that you may want to avoid purchasing for your beloved next Valentine’s Day.  For those of you who were perplexed when you arrived home on February 15 to find the locks changed and your clothes strewn about the front lawn, peruse this list to see if the Valentine gift you purchased may be the culprit behind your eviction.

Surprisingly Unromantic As Seen on TV Gifts

All of the as seen on TV products on this list are good, effective products that serve a unique purpose and serve it well; however, none of them will earn you brownie points if you bestow them as gifts on the most romantic of holidays.  To help you understand why these gifts and your efforts will be decidedly underappreciated, we will offer along with each item the message your beloved infers from your thoughtful, yet misguided gift.

• PedEgg – “There is no way I’m giving you a foot massage or  touching those hooves you call feet until you sandblast them with this metal grater.”
• Bionic Fish Finder – “I know you could care less about fishing, but I totally dig it, so while you’re busy not talking to me because I got you a Fish Finder for Valentine’s Day, I’m going to borrow it and spend all day on the lake with my buddies, m’kay?”
• Dropps Pre-Measured Laundry Detergent Pacs – “I know you would like a little extra help around the house, so I’m helping out by giving you something to make laundry easier.”
• Femestra Menopause Relief – “You’re grouchy and miserable to live with, and I’m too cheap to pay the exorbitant air conditioning bill anymore.”
• Chamonix Esotique RF Anti-Aging System – “You’re old.”
• Curve Control Jeans – “You’re fat.”
• Easy Curves – “I wish you had bigger boobs.”

Luckily, there are romantic as seen on TV gifts that can help you weasel your way back into her heart.  Show up at your doorstep with a Snuggie for Couples and a copy of  Ultimate Love Songs from Time Life to show her you want to get close and cozy.  To really help her frozen heart to thaw, surprise her with a Royal Heirloom Ring, the as seen on TV replica of Princess Diana’s engagement ring, handed down to her son Prince William and now passed on to his betrothed.

If that doesn’t work there are plenty of infomercial tools and home improvement products that can help you transform the doghouse into a suitable man cave.

As seen on TV products are all about solutions.

Whether finding the perfect gift, digging your way out of a difficult situation, or making lemonade from the sour look your beloved is casting your way, you can count on an as seen on TV innovation to come to the rescue.

The holidays are fast approaching–only two more shopping days until Christmas!  At the Way Back Wednesday home, we’ve handled the gift-buying largely by avoiding the malls and ordering online, and we’ve commenced celebrating by watching scores of children’s holiday movies with Way Little Wednesday.   The combination of these two has been ultra-convenient, as whenever I see an infomercial for an as seen on TV product that will be great for someone on my shopping list, I just pop open the laptop, head over to SeenOnTV Express, and my shopping is taken care of, without ever leaving the couch or missing a minute of our Christmas Film Festival.

Speaking of Christmas movies, last week we talked about how no one does Christmas music quite like Time Life.  However, Time Life doesn’t just do music; they have some of the best video collections as well.  Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes is one example of how Time Life Music and Video brings a Christmas phenomenon right into your home.

Kids’ Christmas videos is another area in which they excel.  This year, Mr. Way Back Wednesday and I decided that we can’t just wait to happen upon our favorite Christmas movies–we need to buy the DVDs so that Way Little Wednesday can watch them whenever he wants.  Finding all the children’s Christmas classics was a little more difficult–and expensive–than we had anticipated.  We should have realized that Time Life (and a time machine) would have had the perfect solution:

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman are two of my personal favorites.  In fact, they are destined to become favorites of Way Little as well.  Today, after watching Frosty, Way Little exclaimed, “Again!”

From all of us at Way Back Wednesday and SeenOnTV Express, have a “Holly Jolly Christmas:”

For the last few decades, Time Life music has created some of the best music compilations available.  Before MP3 playlists, and even before the mix tape, Time Life was taking your favorite songs and putting them together on one LP.  As music trends–and formats–have changed, TimeLife music has evolved.

One thing that hasn’t changed, is the quality of their holiday albums.  While an occasional new Christmas song hits the airwaves, generally, Christmas is about the classics.  The following TimeLife infomercial shows that, while hairdos change, nostalgic Christmas tunes never go out of style:

Now through Nov 15, 2009  TimeLife® is offering 20% off purchases of $99 or more (before adding taxes and shipping).

This is their biggest sale of the year – order now to have your favorite Time Life® music or video collections delivered before Christmas at great savings.  Use the banner to get complete details or get more TimeLife Coupons here.