Pitchman Billy Mays was among the celebrity deaths last week. I was never a big fan of his approach. In fact, every time his infomercials came on TV I changed the channel. He was loud and annoying and everything I disliked in advertising (men yelling to buy their product). But despite his boisterous approach, he was the perfect salesman.
Why? Because Billy Mays used a channel that worked for his strengths and the products he was selling.
Billy Mays played a large role in the success of OxiClean products. His approach, which included him yelling and demonstrating products on screen, made him a recognizable pitchman.
So how did Billy Mays become such a phenomenon?
We Trusted Him
We trusted him because he was a glorified version of one of us. He cut through the clutter and told us what the product was and why we needed it. And unlike Vince from ShamWow, he was truly genuine and matched the messaging of the product he was selling.
He Was Emotional
He cared about what he was selling and how it would help consumers. He had passion for the product he was selling, and was even sought after by the Discovery Channel for the show Pitchman based on his approach.
He Was Recognizable
Most cleaning products target women and the advertising reflects that. Billy, in this sense was a Billy was definitely recognizable- he was a man selling in what was traditionally a woman-dominated market. Although he used direct-response TV, his approach was actually vastly different than the type of advertising seen for cleaning products.
He Was Consistently On Message
Billy used traditional direct response advertising on TV, but never strayed from his core messages and products. The products he endorsed always helped people live their lives easier, whether it was cleaning products or insurance.
-Carla
Photo Credit: azrainman
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tagged as Billy Mays, direct response TV, pitchman, salesman
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