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. With Dept. of open questions: Why not infomercials?
Posted by Rob Walker on November 19, 2007
Posted Under: Murketing
Posted Under: Murketing
I’ve been wondering why the networks don’t respond to the writer’s strike by simply running high-end infomercials. That is: Just let Nike or whoever buy an hour of prime time, and let them do what they want. Probably they’d go all out, and win an Emmy.
I’m not endorsing this. And I would personally find it depressing. I would find it depressing as an entertainment consumer, and as a professional writer who worries about the future of the market for writing. But that’s probably part of why I’m surprised it hasn’t happened.
But yesterday I asked a marketing fellow I know why he thought it hadn’t happened. He said: “That’s a great idea!”
Uh oh. . . .
Further diversion may be found at MKTG Tumblr, and the Consumed Facebook page.
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Reader Comments
OK, I know now who I’m going to blame if the trend shows up on TV…
Are shows like Cavemen and Gamekillers much different than infomercials? Nike did a show called Battlegrounds a few years ago. All three were conceived and mostly written inside ad agencies. (Martin, BBH, W+K)
Personally I don’t think we’d see the difference if 95% of guild-penned shows were replaced by ‘sponsored’ shows, or whatever you’d want to call them. It’s the truly fine, the Sopranos, 30 Rock, Lost, etc. that’d we’d be poorer for missing.
this isn’t in response to the writers’ strike, but reebok has produced a series of documentaries (or as you more accurately brand them, high-end infomercials) that are going to be aired on IFC. i wrote about it here: http://www.psfk.com/2007/11/reebok-enters-showbiz-with-branded-entertainment.html
but the original article comes from the NYT.
This is like an idea I had for a new form of programming called the sitcommercial. Instead of having commercials interrupting the show every few minutes, segments of the script would be sold to business, and the dialog would be about the products or services the business offers. It would be a fully integrated program. Although I think regular paid programming is entertaining enough. The ION channel’s model of syndicated and paid programming is interesting to me, I wonder if it works very well.
Have you seen Honey Shed? They’re doing some interesting things with the infomercial. Online, granted. And still an infomercial, but…
BTW, I don’t know how you feel about the Blogger’s Choice Awards, but I just nominated Murketing for Best Marketing Blog.
Well I have to start with Ingrid: Wow! Thanks! How I feel about the Blogger’s Choice Awards is that I don’t know much about them, but I have always wanted to win or even just be nominated for an award. An award of any kind. Thank you!
Now, on to the serious matter of infomercials. Nick and Orli: Great examples of what I’m talking about, and clear evidence that big brands can produce this stuff, so that’s why I’m wondering why they’re not rushing into the breach.
Adam: I don’t know anythinga bout ION channel, but yeah, the sitcommercial sounds close to where we’re at these days, right?
Mark S: I did look at Honeyshed a little, and I see your point. But I’d expect something a little better in a prime time infomercial — and as indicated above, it can clearly be done.
But just to reiterate: I hope it isn’t done.
Thanks all.