Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Working Knowledge
Business Research for Business Leaders
  • Browse All Articles
  • Popular Articles
  • Cold Call Podcast
  • Managing the Future of Work Podcast
  • About Us
  • Book
  • Leadership
  • Marketing
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Entrepreneurship
  • All Topics...
  • Topics
    • COVID-19
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Gender
    • Globalization
    • Leadership
    • Management
    • Negotiation
    • Social Enterprise
    • Strategy
  • Sections
    • Book
    • Podcasts
    • HBS Case
    • In Practice
    • Lessons from the Classroom
    • Op-Ed
    • Research & Ideas
    • Research Event
    • Sharpening Your Skills
    • What Do You Think?
    • Working Paper Summaries
  • Browse All
    • Archive

    As Seen On TV: The Darwinian World of the Infomercial

     
    http://www.forbes.com/2002/11/13/cx_da_1113ad.html
    Should you be selling your product on infomercials?
    1/20/2003
    In this interactive feature, Forbes.com looks at the world of direct-response TV ads. The question: Are they a good deal for advertisers? Ask Johnny Carson. His Carson Productions has sold some 2.5 million copies of its best of The Tonight Show videos, a number the author notes, "is comparable to the DVD/video sales for a hit Hollywood movie." Nearly two-thirds of all Americans report seeing infomercials, and more than 1,000 products a year are sold through this channel, according to this report. And infomercials aren't just for hawking crazy knives and foot soakers anymore. Established brands including Apple, Whirlpool, and Time-Life have mounted direct-response commercials. The report includes lists of the most successful infomercial products in 2002 (headed by the Bowflex Home Gym), and the best pitchmen (Need you ask? Ron Popeil).
    ǁ
    Campus Map
    Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
    Baker Library | Bloomberg Center
    Soldiers Field
    Boston, MA 02163
    Email: Editor-in-Chief
    →Map & Directions
    →More Contact Information
    • Make a Gift
    • Site Map
    • Jobs
    • Harvard University
    • Trademarks
    • Policies
    • Accessibility
    • Digital Accessibility
    Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College