Those that have spent a long sleepless night watching TV are more than intimately familiar with infomercials, or what the industry calls âdirect response advertising.â They are either short 30-second or long-form thirty/sixty-minute pitches, with a phone number or URL that viewers call or visit to purchase the product. Usually, itâs for some new workout, diet supplement, gag gift, or single-purpose gadget. Often theyâll use over-the-top acting and dramatizations to highlight the productâs features and benefits. These spots get produced cheaply, and graphics are about on par with what your aunt can do using MS Paint and clipart.
These late-night ads get parodied a lot, and often itâs hard to tell when itâs a joke, especially when Saturday Night Live mixes them into the show. If you watched the latest episode with host Dave Chappelle and Foo Fighters, you might have seen the ad for a turkey pillow and think it was still part of the show.
