Some folks call it BILLY MAYS MEMORIAL CAPS LOCK DAY, some call it BILLY MAYS REMEMBRANCE DAY, but we all TYPE IN CAPS TO HONOR BILLY’S UNIQUE PITCHING STYLE. LOVE IT OR HATE IT, PUMP UP THE VOLUME OR HIT THE MUTE BUTTON, WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT BILLY MAYS CONVINCED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO BUY THE PRODUCTS HE PITCHED. HE WAS A FULL-VOLUME PITCHMAN, AND A STAND-UP GUY, AND THAT’S WHY TODAY WE SHOUT OUT IN ALL CAPS.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE: LINKS IN HONOR OF BILLY MAYS REMEMBRANCE DAY:
I was alerted last month to the return of the aborted second season of Pitchmen. Being a cautious sort, your Savvy Shopper decided to wait to announce this happy news until I actually saw the show scheduled on Discovery Channel’s Pitchmen Episode Guide. Today, it’s official. Pitchmen returns January 18th at 7pm EST/PST, a less competitive pre-prime-time time slot. The sophomore season was canceled after two episodes when it aired in August 2010. Disappointing ratings were why the show was pulled. Let’s hope it does better at its new day and time.
Season two of PitchMen follows Anthony “Sully” Sullivan as he attempts to pick up the pieces and continue making inventors’ dreams come true after the sudden death of his longtime friend and pitch partner, Billy Mays.
It’s obvious the Royal Heirloom Ring, with its twinkling cubic zirconiums, simulated sapphire and thin layer of silver plate, is strictly costume jewelry. And yes, the British Historical Society and Sterlington Collections are inventions of As Seen on TV giant Telebrands.
Still, the Royal Heirloom Ring is a remarkably accurate replica of the ring currently on the finger of Kate Middleton, the future Queen of England, and once worn by Princess Diana, better known as Lady Di (arguably the greatest celebrity of the 20th century). If you love the romance and majesty of royalty, who could blame you for wanting to play dress up with this over-the-top example of royal bling? Here’s where to order.
Love the convenience of online holiday shopping, but hate those horrid shipping costs? Now you can get your favorite As Seen On TV products shipped FREE… from Walmart.
Walmart has kicked off the holiday season early this year by getting rid of something all online shoppers hate: shipping costs. From now until December 20th, over 60,000 products can be purchased at Walmart.com and either shipped directly to your home or the nearest Walmart store for free. Even sweeter is that unlike certain popular online shopping sites, there is no minimum purchase or annual fee required for free shipping.
If the product is marked “Free shipping to home” it will be delivered to your door 3 to 5 business days after your order is processed. If it is marked “Site to Store” Walmart sends you an email when your order is ready for pickup, usually 7 to 10 business days after order processing. Return shipping is also free, or you can return online orders to a local Walmart store. According to the company, this special free shipping offer will save Walmart customers approximately $25 million this holiday season.
So slip into your PJs, pour a glass of your favorite beverage and get your holiday shopping done without leaving the house – and without shelling out the big bucks for shipping. You can relax as the gift Camouflage Snuggie and AB Circle Pro Machine are delivered to your door. Or you can cross off all your holiday list with one-stop-shopping when you pick up the Swivel Sweeper G2 for your spouse and those cute Pillow Pets for the kids at your local Walmart. Best of all, with the money you save on shipping, you can afford that comfy Sobakawa Micro-Bead Cloud Pillow for yourself. You deserve it – your holiday shopping is done, and it’s not even Thanksgiving yet!
Today’s product is not brand new, but the current national bed bug scare has certainly beefed up its marketing muscle. The video below for Sprayway Good Night Spray was produced last year. This aerosol product kills both dust mites and bed bugs, but the focus in this spot is on dust mites. Dust mites are so last year! This year, bed bugs are the enemy hiding in your bedding (and maybe your clothes).
If you’re going to be staying in a hotel soon, you may or may not want to read this article . Bed Bugs are out there, and they’re out to get you. So if you want to pack a can of Good Night in your suitcase when you travel, and if spraying down your hotel or motel room bedding gives you peace of mind, I say go for it.
Because we always want to supply the latest As Seen on TV news, we feel obligated to tell you that Vince Offer, pitchman of ShamWow and Slap Chop fame, is filming a sequel to 1999′s Underground Comedy Movie. Here’s the trailer, and it’s even more offensive, disgusting and juvenile than the original. This video is not only unsafe for work, it’s inappropriate for anyone, anytime. In a sad comment on her life and career, Lindsay Lohan is involved. Watch if you must, but you have been warned.
Jezebel asked its readers to concoct Mad-Men-style ads for current infomercial products, in competition for the prize of a set of Mad Men Barbie dolls. See the ads here.
It’s hard to believe it’s been an entire year, but today is the first anniversary of Billy Mays’ death. Are you rocking that blue shirt? ‘Cause you gotta – it’s how we honor the greatest pitchman who ever pitched a product. A year ago today he passed away at the age of 50, leaving us to eulogize him on YouTube and mop our tears with Zorbeez (the power to absorb up to 27 times greater than paper towels or any cotton cloth!).
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! According to urbandictionary.com, it’s officially Billy Mays Day: “It’s Traditional to wear a blue collared shirt with a white under shirt. Must also wear khakis. You must use CAPS LOCK the whole day. Even when talking to family or friends. If you can grow a beard by then, you are the man.”
SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE’S SOME LINKS TO HELP YOU CELEBRATE BILLY MAYS REMEMBRANCE DAY:
Credit card giant Visa is placing restrictions on a marketing practice widely used by online merchants, and almost universally used by marketers of As Seen On TV (DRTV) products. This affects what is known within the industry as “loyalty” programs, where shoppers are offered a gift card or other financial incentive when completing their online order. From Visa’s press release:
The misleading practice, called “data pass,” usually involves a consumer shopping at a familiar retailer. At checkout, the consumer receives an offer for a discount or reward and does not realize it is from a different merchant and comes with unexpected monthly membership fees or recurring charges. Such deceptive marketing can result in high levels of consumer disputes and degrades the efficiency, reliability and security of the payment system. According to a 2009 U.S. Senate Commerce Committee staff report, 35 million consumers have paid $1.4 billion for “data pass” marketing offers (1).
“Visa’s priority is protecting our cardholders and the integrity of the electronic payments system. Consumers who shop online using their Visa cards should be confident that they will only be charged for the products and services they legitimately intend to purchase – not those that are foisted on them through deceptive data pass schemes,” said Martin Elliott, senior business leader, U.S. Payment System Risk, Visa Inc.
Visa’s rules already prohibit merchants from sharing a cardholder’s account number and other Visa transaction information with any entity that is not directly involved in completing the transaction, preventing fraud, or as required by law. To address the data pass practice, merchants will now have to prompt consumers to re-enter their card information to accept a subsequent offer from a third-party merchant. This provides a clear signal to cardholders that a second purchase is being initiated and protects them from questionable marketing practices.
Your Savvy Shopper applauds Visa’s action as a much needed step to buttress consumer confidence in online shopping.
Infomercial pitchman and convicted felon Kevin Trudeau is in trouble once again. According to an article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Mr. Trudeau is being held in contempt for marshaling his supporters to harrass a federal judge via email. Whether filling up a judge’s inbox really constitutes harassment is open to speculation, but Trudeau’s history of arrests, convictions and fines makes anything he does subject to intense scrutiny. Stay classy, Kevin!
Some folks call it BILLY MAYS MEMORIAL CAPS LOCK DAY, some call it BILLY MAYS REMEMBRANCE DAY, but we all TYPE IN CAPS TO HONOR BILLY’S UNIQUE PITCHING STYLE. LOVE IT OR HATE IT, PUMP UP THE VOLUME OR HIT THE MUTE BUTTON, WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT BILLY MAYS CONVINCED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO BUY THE PRODUCTS HE PITCHED. HE WAS A FULL-VOLUME PITCHMAN, AND A STAND-UP GUY, AND THAT’S WHY TODAY WE SHOUT OUT IN ALL CAPS.
