Infomercial

Infomercial came from "information" and "commercial". It has been typically used in television to advertise a product. It lasts from as short as one minute to as long as a whole program with the intention of persuading the viewer into something. Lately, the idea has been used to replace "sign-off" in off peak hours of television (2am-6am) keep viewers who can't sleep at night. Here is an example of infomercial.



Infomercial is a form of advertisement. Some advertisers might downplay it a bit by introducing the product through a talk show style, an interview, revolving around a story, but it is still advertising, nonetheless.

One of the most salient points in an infomercial is its purpose to persuade into an action. It might be to buy the product or believe into a concept, but regardless of its purpose, it is the response of the audience that measures its effectiveness. Thus it is also considered as a form of "direct response marketing".

Because of its nature, it employs tools such as catchy phrases, repetition of words and ideas, incorporating celebrities, scientist and public well-known figures to gather positive response from the audience.