Infomercial
An infomercial (composed of information and commercial) is a lengthy television advertisement in the form of an entertaining television program. As a form of teleshopping, it is a common form of advertising for various products, mostly kitchen, household, care or sporting goods. The usual broadcast format are 15- or 30-minute programs in which one or more moderators, with or without a studio audience, advertise a product or a product division. Much shorter versions or spots of two to seven minutes in length are also broadcast.
In Germany , infomercials are mostly broadcast at times of the day with a relatively low audience , e.g. B. in the morning, especially with smaller channels. However, there are also individual TV channels that broadcast infomercials around the clock.
features
German infomercials are often synchronizations of an English-language original. In contrast to television films, however, lip-synchronic translation is dispensed with and the original English sound is sometimes played (quieter) next to the translation . B. the USA . This also suggests to potential customers that this special product from abroad is only available now and via this sales platform in order to make a purchase even more attractive. In order to advertise the advantages of the products, moderators as well as original customer tones ( testimonials ), demonstrations and, for example, animations for sports equipment, are used. Often a comparison is made with other products in which these are presented negatively in contrast to the advertised product. In order to get customers to call quickly, extras are usually offered, for example a second copy of the product. Often the products are presented as revolutionary , new and sensational ; It should be made clear that there is no real and equivalent alternative to the advertised object. Psychological aids are also used in some programs, for example reference is made to typical ideals of people (e.g. the ideal of slimness and beauty when sports equipment is advertised), to everyday suffering and plagues (e.g. insects in the House, sore legs) or household activities that are associated with negative, often arduous ideas (such as cleaning floors), the product is presented as an easy-to-use solution. The viewer is also often addressed directly.
Individual evidence
- ^ Siegfried J. Schmidt: Handbuch Werbung , LIT Verlag Münster, 2004, ISBN 9783825875404 .
