We have all seen the awesomely cheesy infomercials for some of the weirdest products on the market, and you have to ask yourself how they make money off that stuff. Well, the answer is rhetoric. Two Christmases ago my dad bought my mom a shamwow as a joke, and my family has been making jokes about the commercials ever since. It works worse than an actual towel. A snuggy is nothing more than a blanket with sleeves. These products make millions because of the way they are marketed to a certain audience. They use the power of persuasion to make the customer think they need this product mostly through the use of logos. The absurdity of actually seeing someone wearing one of those things out in public as pictured in the commercial is quite comical. They put other consumers in the ad who claim the wonders that the product has done for them and how much easier it has made their lives. They claim that the product has incredible capabilities such as a product I saw once that was suppose to remove all the toxins from your body in one night by sticking it to your feet. They also use energetic and witty spokespersons such as Vince the shamwow guy (in the picture) to further convince the attentive audience. These factors make for either wasted money or a good laugh but either way they effectively show the powerful capability of rhetoric.
Just to follow up on what Vance44 has written, people really do buy these products just for advertisement. When I first saw the Snuggie commercial I felt like I absolutely had to have one, so i asked for one for Christmas that year. Its really not that warm and I rather use my comforter instead. The Shamwow is also another over rated product that people are persuaded to use because of the commercial. After I used one for the first time it was useless the next time I tried to use it. Definitely not what the companies promised consumers!
ReplyDeleteI have TWO Snuggies and aren't that fond of them either. They were both gifts, so I'm not complaining, but I would never spend my own money buying one! When I first saw the commercials for them, I thought they looked cool and the people in the commercial looked very warm and comfortable. In reality, the Snuggie is neither of warm nor comfortable. I don't find mine that warm at all, and the sleeves are too long! I just find myself re-adjusting my Snuggie the whole time I am wearing it instead of relaxing!
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