Marketing Outside the Box

One of my favorite places to vacation is Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. There are several things I look forward to each time I visit: the look on my kids' faces as they catch their first glimpse of the castle in the Magic Kingdom, the thrill of riding on Thunder Mountain and Test Track, the smell of fresh baked pastries from the Boardwalk Bakery, and the Appliance Direct infomercial.

I know it sounds crazy, but this Central Florida appliance store airs a 30 minute infomercial each day that is as entertaining as some of the attractions in the parks (if you've ever seen it, you know exactly what I'm talking about).

When I first caught this infomercial, I thought it was a skit from Mad TV. As I continued to watch it, I found it to be funny in a cool sort of way and ever since, I look for it whenever I visit the area. You can view clips of the infomercials at ApplianceDirect.com.

So what could make a 30 minute sales pitch for appliances so entertaining? (and what does this have to do with business?) From a business standpoint, the infomercial accomplishes three things:

1. It grabs attention. Which it does in a humorous and entertaining way.

2. It teaches you about the product. (and more importantly, why to buy from them)

3. It's memorable.

Sam Pak, the owner of Appliance Direct and star of the infomercial has a national cult following. Throughout the infomercial, he jumps around explaining in an extremely animated fashion the benefits of white porcelain toilets, how an oven without convection is merely a glorified toaster and how dishwashers without sani-wash and sani-rinse are "nooo good." It's nearly impossible to watch more than five seconds without getting hooked.

Now if you take the outrageousness of the ad away, it comes across as a reputable business and the message sticks. I've had to replace a few appliances over the last couple years and I've actually said to my wife "no, we don't want that. Remember what the Appliance Direct guy said about that?" more than once. So I retained what was said in the infomercial.