Infomercial

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Definition Infomercial? Meaning.

An Infomercial is a hidden form of advertising presented to prospects as if it were information.

An Infomercial is a commercial message, including a detailed explanation of the advertised product or service, perfectly fitting with the structure of the information provided by the media channel utilized.

In other words, it is like the media is masking to its audience that the message presented (the Infomercial) is an ad. The style, length and appearance are  similar to the informative content offered by the media, although the content of the message of the Infomercial itself is commercial.

The aim of infomercials is to provide full information on the product or service advertised utilizing the persuasive technique of a non-commercial mask: people tend to be attracted by some form of entertainment and seemingly interesting information. As in Ambient Advertising and Subliminal Advertising, the consumer is approached in a somewhat pushy way.

The first infomercials promoted magazines and books using documentary techniques. Infomercials are widely used by both traditional and new media. In the USA a channel completely dedicated to infomercials was launched in 1991, Infonet. A typical TV infomercial is in the form of an imitated talk show with a length of 15 to 30 minutes. Usually they are broadcasted at fringe time, late night or early morning, and their goal is to build up the brand awareness presenting the benefits of a product, a product line or service. In some types of infomercials the goal can also be Direct Marketing by offering the possibility to order immediately (via phone or internet). The same advertising concept is also called Advertorial in press media and Teleshopping on TV.

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Compare with: Ambient Advertising  |  Subliminal Advertizing  |  10 Commandments for Media Consumers  |  Attention Model  |  Consumerization  |  Unaided Recall  |  Direct Marketing  |  Permission Marketing  |  Tie-in Marketing  |  Brand Recognition  |  Brand Management  |  Branding  |  Brand Loyalty

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