BUSINESS MARKETING ESSENTIALS

Infomercial
By WILL KENTON Updated October 11, 2021

Reviewed by THOMAS J. CATALANO

Fact checked by SUZANNE KVILHAUG

What Is an Infomercial?
An infomercial is a longer-form video
or television advertisement that acts
as a stand-alone program to pitch a
good or service with a call to
action. Infomercials are different from
regular commercials because they Ad
last longer and have no breaks in the
program.

As a result, infomercials are able to

present more details about a product
or service. The purpose of
infomercials is to prompt the viewer
to call a toll-free number or visit a
website to make a purchase.

An advantage of infomercials for

companies is an increased amount of
time to showcase a product,
demonstrate how it works, and
present a persuasive call to
action (CTA). The term infomercial is a
combination of the words
"information" and
"commercial." However, in Europe,
they're referred to as
"paid programming" or
"teleshopping."

KEY TAKEAWAYS
An infomercial is a longer-
form video or television
advertisement that acts as a
stand-alone program to pitch
a good or service with a call
to action.
Infomercials are different
from regular commercials
because they last longer and
have no breaks in the
program.
Infomercials usually appear
on television during off-peak
hours and can run from a
half-hour to nearly one hour
long.
The cost of an infomercial is
significantly cheaper than
that of a commercial,
particularly for the length of
time that each airs.
Viewers have come to regard
infomercials with skepticism
as sometimes the
exaggerated claims do not
live up to expectations.

Understanding Infomercials
Infomercials typically include a
lengthy attempt to sell a product or
service by appealing to the
viewpoints or interests of the viewer.
Infomercials usually show a toll-free
phone number and implore the
viewer to "call now," and that
"operators are waiting" for what is
described as a "limited-time
offer." Infomercials can run as a video
online or during a television time slot.
In any format, an infomercial will
contain a call to action, such as an
incentive to act immediately.

How Long Do Infomercials Last?

Infomercials may be run in short or
long segments. Shorter infomercials
typically are two to four minutes in
length and tend to be structured as
several back-to-back independent
commercials for the same product or
service. Longer-form infomercials
may take half-hour or hour-long time
slots (28:30 or 58:30 in length) and
tend to be aired during late-night
programming slots between 2 a.m.
and 6 a.m. Infomercials occupy what
was previously dead air time when
television stations would
typically sign off.

When Are Infomercials on T.V.?

Infomercials are famed for appearing
on television during off-peak hours,
typically late at night or early in the
morning. Advertising rates for these
hours are lower than during the day,
allowing companies selling their
products to buy up more time than
they would be able to if advertising on
a popular television show. Also, T.V.
stations earn revenue from
infomercials, which helps to offset the
lack of advertising revenue that's
typical from shows during off-peak
hours.

History of Infomercials
Infomercials came to prominence
during the 1980s in the United States
after the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) relaxed rules that
limited the amount of commercial
content that could be shown on
television. [1]

According to the Federal Trade

Commission (FTC), any infomercial
that runs longer than 15 minutes must
tell viewers that it is a
paid advertisement. [2] Infomercials
are seen by many as employing
sensationalism, half-truths, and
exaggeration. Over the years, claims
made by some products sold by
infomercials, such as weight loss and
penile enlargement, have been found
to be fraudulent. [3]

Examples of Infomercials
Infomercials are commonly used to
sell a variety of products ("As Seen On
T.V."). Some examples of popular
infomercials include:

Proactiv acne system has featured

celebrities such as Justin Bieber
and Jessica Simpson.
P90x Workout videos and DVDs
were highly successful and started
by Tony Horton.
Total Gym exercise system
featured Chuck Norris and Christie
Brinkley.
The George Foreman Grill sold
approximately 100 million units
and was endorsed by former
boxing champion, George
Foreman.

Other popular infomercial products

included Ginsu knives,
ShamWow towels, and the Flowbee
vacuum haircutting tool.

Infomercials are also commonly used

to sell dietary and sexual health
supplements, memory improvement
aids, personal fitness equipment, and
more. Such advertising may also be
used by religious figures or politicians
that are seeking donations.

Infomercials vs. Commercials

Both infomercials and commercials
have the same objective: to sell a
product or service. The way in which
they go about it, however, differs
significantly. Commercials are short
and snappy, just a few seconds long,
traditionally 30 seconds. Infomercials,
on the other hand, range anywhere
from 30 minutes to one hour.

Commercials can have an artistic

focus, usually feature a voice-over or
narration, and are placed during
popular television viewing hours.
Infomercials are typically a full
demonstration of a product. The
infomercial identifies a need and
proceeds to demonstrate in detail
how the specific product can resolve
that need and urges the consumer to
take swift action to purchase the
product right away.

An infomercial will show all the

advantages of the product, do away
with any negative concerns, and
feature testimonials.

Commercials are expensive because

they run during times when a large
part of the population is watching
television. Infomercials are usually
shown late at night and the costs are
significantly less than that of a
commercial.

FAST FACT
Global television ad revenue is
predicted to exceed $177
billion by 2023. [4]

Advantages and
Disadvantages of Infomercials
Most Americans watch television as
their primary means of entertainment
as opposed to listening to the radio.
An infomercial will thus be more
impactful in raising brand awareness
because it will reach more people.
Infomercials are also a form of
entertainment because they last for a
long time and feature demonstrations
and testimonials. This works as a form
of engaging content that draws the
viewer in, rather than a commercial
an individual would rather avoid.

A commercial is short and can only do

so much in conveying what the
advertised product or service does.
An infomercial, on the other hand, has
a lot of time to show exactly what a
product does and how it can benefit
the consumer. Infomercials are also a
cheaper form of advertising than
some other traditional routes, such as
large national commercials and
advertising campaigns.

Despite these advantages,

infomercials do come with a certain
stigma, often in the form of
exaggerated claims. As such,
infomercials are often considered not
believable, preventing viewers from
making a purchase.

Another disadvantage is that not all

products will sell using an infomercial
format. Products that are easy to
demonstrate with clear benefits do
better in infomercials compared with
products that are complex or require
detailed explanations.

Pros
• Lower cost when compared to
regular commercials
• Entertaining and engaging for
the viewer
• Ability to demonstrate the
product in full

Cons
• Exaggerated claims leading
viewers to doubt the
effectiveness of the product
• Shown late at night when
television viewership is low
• Products that are difficult to
demonstrate don't do well in
infomercials

How Do You Make an

Infomercial?
To make an infomercial you will need
to identify a problem that challenges
your viewer. Then you mention the
most common solution to that
problem, the one that the majority of
people turn to. The next step is to
then point out why that is wrong by
demonstrating why it is more difficult
or not as effective. Then you
introduce your product, discuss its
value proposition, and then
demonstrate why it is better than the
common solution. You then cap off
your infomercial with a special offer
that draws the viewer in to make a
purchase.

How Do You Become an

Infomercial Actor?
The best way to become an
infomercial actor is to first start out by
taking acting classes. Then start
applying to commercial listings that
are available online or in newspapers.
The best way is to make it to castings
and try for the role. Once you get a
few jobs and experience under your
belt, from there it'll be easier to get
more jobs.

What Was the Most Popular

Item Sold in a U.S.
Infomercial?
There have been many popular items
sold through infomercials. These
include Proactiv, the George Foreman
Grill, Bowflex, and P90x.

The Bottom Line

Infomercials are a form of video
advertising that lasts for a long period
of time, usually from 30 minutes to an
hour. They provide an in-depth
demonstration of a product and urge
the viewer through a call to action to
buy the product. Infomercials have
been characterized as sensational and
viewers regard certain products with
skepticism as they can fail to live up
to the exaggerated claims. Regardless,
infomercials are less costly to make
than regular commercials and can be
part of a marketing strategy for
businesses to reach consumers and
increase sales.

ARTICLE SOURCES

Related Terms
What Is an Advertorial?
An advertorial is magazine, newspaper, or
website content that looks and reads like
that publication’s content but is actually a
paid advertisement. more

Monetize
Monetize refers to the process of turning a
non-revenue-generating item into cash.
Read about monetization on Facebook,
YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter. more

What Is Social Networking?

Social networking is the use of internet-
based social media programs to make
connections with friends, family,
colleagues, or customers. more

How a Pump-and-Dump
Scheme Works
Pump-and-dump is a manipulative
scheme to boost the price of a security
through fake recommendations based on
false, misleading, or exaggerated
statements. more

Business-to-Consumer
(B2C): What You Need to
Know
Business-to-consumer (B2C) is a digital
sales model in which products and
services are sold between a company and
consumer, or two consumers. more

Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is the use of the internet,
mobile devices, social media, search
engines, display advertising, and other
channels to reach consumers. more

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