Lesson #1: Make the Product the Star of the Show
Lesson #1: Make the Product the Star of the Show
It was the summer of 1964 when Popeil introduced the Veg-O-Matic to audiences across America. In a two-minute commercial, Popeil had the challenging task of trying to convince viewers that if there was one thing they had to have in their kitchen, the Veg-O-Matic was it. In order to sell that idea, he knew what he had to do. Popeil had to turn the camera away from himself and onto the product. He was one of the first to understand the impact of the compelling images that were possible with the new medium of television and he used that to his advantage. He directed the viewer’s attention to the machine, demonstrating how it worked with ease, its lack of complicated gadgets, and its fast results.
The success of the Veg-O-Matic commercial taught Popeil a lesson he would use again when launching his Showtime Rotisserie. In creating his infomercial for the meat cooker, he opens with shots not of himself, but of the luscious, juicy poultry slowly rotating inside his latest invention. The voice then comes on: “a delicious six-pound chicken…a succulent whole duckling…a mouthwatering pork-loin roast.” If that did not make your mouth water, on to the screen came Popeil to lure you even further into his grips.
Over the next few minutes, Popeil garnishes some salmon with lemon and dill and puts it into his Rotisserie; then, onto a rib roast, and a pair of chickens. But, the beauty of it all is that very rarely does the viewer actually get to see Popeil’s face. Rather, the camera is focused on the tempting food almost the entire time. And Popeil’s seductive voice guides viewers through the entire process: “What I'd like to do is take some herbs and spices here. All I'll do is slide it back. Raise up my glass door here. I'll turn it to a little over an hour. . . . Just set it and forget it.”
Making the products the star of his infomercials worked so well because that is what they were designed to be. The Rotisserie was manufactured with a clear plane of glass so that you could watch the entire, juicy process of the meat being cooked. The glass was also slanted backwards so that a large amount of light could seep through. Popeil understood that the better the product looked, especially while in use, the easier it would be for him to sell it. Thus, both in design and in marketing, Popeil made sure it was his product – not himself – that was the star of the show.
Lesson 1 Make the Product the Star of the Show
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There really was not much to Ron Popeil’s Veg-O-Matic. You took a vegetable of your choice, put it through the machine’s blades, and you immediately had vegetable slices. But, if it was such a simple and transparent device, how come it became one of the first food-processing appliances to gain such widespread popularity in the U.S.? Were Americans really that eager to find a better way of slicing and dicing their veggies? Perhaps, but there was more to it than that; in pitching his product, Popeil made Veg-O-Matic the star of the show.
It was the summer of 1964 when Popeil introduced the Veg-O-Matic to audiences across America. In a two-minute commercial, Popeil had the challenging task of trying to convince viewers that if there was one thing they had to have in their kitchen, the Veg-O-Matic was it. In order to sell that idea, he knew what he had to do. Popeil had to turn the camera away from himself and onto the product. He was one of the first to understand the impact of the compelling images that were possible with the new medium of television and he used that to his advantage. He directed the viewer’s attention to the machine, demonstrating how it worked with ease, its lack of complicated gadgets, and its fast results.
The success of the Veg-O-Matic commercial taught Popeil a lesson he would use again when launching his Showtime Rotisserie. In creating his infomercial for the meat cooker, he opens with shots not of himself, but of the luscious, juicy poultry slowly rotating inside his latest invention. The voice then comes on: “a delicious six-pound chicken…a succulent whole duckling…a mouthwatering pork-loin roast.” If that did not make your mouth water, on to the screen came Popeil to lure you even further into his grips.
Over the next few minutes, Popeil garnishes some salmon with lemon and dill and puts it into his Rotisserie; then, onto a rib roast, and a pair of chickens. But, the beauty of it all is that very rarely does the viewer actually get to see Popeil’s face. Rather, the camera is focused on the tempting food almost the entire time. And Popeil’s seductive voice guides viewers through the entire process: “What I'd like to do is take some herbs and spices here. All I'll do is slide it back. Raise up my glass door here. I'll turn it to a little over an hour. . . . Just set it and forget it.”
Making the products the star of his infomercials worked so well because that is what they were designed to be. The Rotisserie was manufactured with a clear plane of glass so that you could watch the entire, juicy process of the meat being cooked. The glass was also slanted backwards so that a large amount of light could seep through. Popeil understood that the better the product looked, especially while in use, the easier it would be for him to sell it. Thus, both in design and in marketing, Popeil made sure it was his product – not himself – that was the star of the show.
Lesson 1 Make the Product the Star of the Show
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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