When the professor showed us those videos in class about media and hypnosis it changed the way I look at media. I was never protecting myself from all the commercials and infomercials. So I decided to avoid watching commercials. However this past week I fell into the trap of a very successful infomercial campaign.
Day before yesterday I spent a full half hour watching the p90X infomercial. And I was seconds away from paying them $120 dollars for a few DVDs.Just then I spoke to my parents and in that conversation I realized how unnecessary those Dvd's were. If I want a fit body, I exactly know what to do but that infomercial made me doubt myself by telling me that I need that DVDs to be fit.
P90X is one of the most successful infomercial products this year and their revenues have exceeded 20 million.Which means that over 200,000 people have become victims to the hypnotic ads and have spent over $120 buying this program.
This week I will be talking about infomercials and how hypnotic they can be. We all watch infomercials. But there are things that we need to keep in mind before we decide to buy something we see on TV.
My last roommate's family is in the infomercial business. And he told me that his family makes a living by creating products that people don't need. He admits that they brainwash a consumer by playing on their fear and greed. Just to put things in perspective his family controls 70% of the infomercial business in Amercia. They have created the shamwow, cami secret, pedegg, iron gym, slap chop, yoshi blade, snuggie, etc..
Now in our reading we learnt about the importance of the producers of media and how because of a profit motive they will play on your fear and greed and sell you products that you don't need. Its absolutely true.
I am a victim of the P90X infomercial. This summer I purchased P90X and completed 70 days (the last 2 weeks I had to train for Babson Soccer which involved running and out-of-home training). I must say that the P90X workouts included some of the most unique exercises that I have ever done. Being an athlete my whole life, I was very surprised to find myself doing several repetitions of workouts I had never done before (variations of pull-up/push-up styles etc). P90X had a great affect on me and got me in excellent shape for preseason. Of all of the infomercials I have seen, this was the most believable and convincing to me, which is why I ended up purchasing it, along with several other Americans. It is interesting to see which infomercials have an effect on people, even though they sometimes appear repetitive, annoying, and unrealistic. The infomercials play over and over again, simply imbedding a message in the viewers brain, which worked on me because here I am after the 90 days with 12 DVDs sitting in my closet. The advertisin strategy of P90X is to appear realistic and true to the buyer, which worked. Infomercials can be an effective medium.
ReplyDeleteVery Interesting I am glad it worked for you. I was under the impression that you dont need this program but to each his own.
ReplyDeleteWow. Way to go, Lisa! If you are a positive example of the P90X, then I'm a negative one. Believe it or not, i also purchased it a few months ago, and have not watched it since. But whether the consumers find the product useful, it falls out of the question of the 'brainwashing' power of the infomercial. Its strategies of long period exposure, repetition and pretension of "information delivery" all work to influence the consumer, consciously and subconsciously.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic. Can't believe Milind lived with an "informercial prince"! Would like to extend this conversation sometimes.
Lets extend this conversation then. However Like I mentioned products are created buy inventors and business teams and they then just market it to make money. Period.
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