# Is it just me or are the majority of commercials for exercise equipment? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426 "2005-05-18T16:14:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/1 "2005-05-18T16:14:55Z")
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like every other commercial on TV now is for some piece of exercise equipment. Bowflex, 6 Second Abs, the Ab Lounge, the Ab Scissor. Are we getting back into the fitness craze of the early 80’s, or is it just the channels I happen to be watching? ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/2 "2005-05-18T16:56:16Z")
Sounds to me like somebody’s been watching those neglected channels in the upper reaches of his/her program guide. Seriously, with the explosion of available channels from cable and satellite (I have about 200 available via Dish Network), there has got to be a lot of commercial inventory available. Big time companies won’t waste their time or marketing capital on pissant little niche channels, so the rates become cheap enough for smaller companies to mount saturation campaigns for their products, most of which don’t have retail distribution channels available to them. So, do you really think a 50-year-old grandmother could look that hot just by working out on a Bowflex? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/3 "2005-05-18T17:03:19Z")
I read somewhere that the ads selling stuff directly are sometimes broadcast for free by the TV station in exchange for a share of the revenues. So a station might choose to broadcast those ads more frequently, depending on their profitability. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/4 "2005-05-18T19:18:08Z")
> [@Airblairxxx](#): > > Sounds to me like somebody’s been watching those neglected channels in the upper reaches of his/her program guide. Not really, as I only have 100 channels. > [@Airblairxxx](#): > > So, do you really think a 50-year-old grandmother could look that hot just by working out on a Bowflex? If that woman is really 50, I’ll eat my mouse pad. > [@Dewey Finn](#): > > I read somewhere that the ads selling stuff directly are sometimes broadcast for free by the TV station in exchange for a share of the revenues. So a station might choose to broadcast those ads more frequently, depending on their profitability. That’s a business plan I’d never heard of before. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/5 "2005-05-18T19:50:32Z")
Watch MTV: they’re all ringtone commercials instead. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/6 "2005-05-18T19:55:27Z")
> [@Airblairxxx](#): > > So, do you really think a 50-year-old grandmother could look that hot just by working out on a Bowflex? For the majority of 50-year-old grandmothers, no. But if there’s just one, the makers of commercials will find her. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/7 "2005-05-18T19:58:15Z")
I’ve noticed that Geico has started doing spoof exercise equipment ads; I saw one featuring that long-haired guy with the “Gazelle” (you stand on it and it swings your legs back and forth in an exaggerated manner). ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/8 "2005-05-18T20:21:30Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > If that woman is really 50, I’ll eat my mouse pad. Think “right end of the bell curve”. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/9 "2005-05-18T20:47:54Z")
> [@Jeep's Phoenix](#): > > I’ve noticed that Geico has started doing spoof exercise equipment ads; I saw one featuring that long-haired guy with the “Gazelle” (you stand on it and it swings your legs back and forth in an exaggerated manner). Hee! I came into this thread just to see if anyone was going to mention Tony Little (THE MOST EXCITED MAN IN AMERICA!!! (He scares me, mommy!)) and the MegaGazellicizer… ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/10 "2005-05-18T22:13:38Z")
I work as a part of the infomercial industry. Exercise machines are on a lot during the first part of the year (particularly the first three months) because they’re a popular time. Toward the end of the year, you’ll start to see more infomercials for products that are good gifts. Yes, we sell some of those exercise programs. They are very popular. Infomercials are a good format for these sorts of things. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/11 "2005-05-18T23:07:31Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Hee! I came into this thread just to see if anyone was going to mention Tony Little (THE MOST EXCITED MAN IN AMERICA!!! (He scares me, mommy!)) and the MegaGazellicizer… Yeah, that’s him! I couldn’t think of his name; I’ve never been able to watch one of his infomercials all the way through. "YOU CAN DO IIIIIIT!!! ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/12 "2005-05-19T01:40:43Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > If that woman is really 50, I’ll eat my mouse pad. She is 50, I’ve seen her in fitness magazines before. (danged if I can remember her name tho’, isn’t it something like “Maryjo”?) But she doesn’t use the Bowflex, she uses free weights and it’s also obvious she has a great natural figure and was probably amazing when she was younger. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/13 "2005-05-19T01:45:14Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > If that woman is really 50, I’ll eat my mouse pad. I would like to eat _her_ mouse pad, IF you know what I mean (and I think you do). ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-majority-of-commercials-for-exercise-equipment/304426/14 "2005-05-19T03:44:42Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > She is 50, I’ve seen her in fitness magazines before. (danged if I can remember her name tho’, isn’t it something like “Maryjo”?) But she doesn’t use the Bowflex, she uses free weights and it’s also obvious she has a great natural figure and was probably amazing when she was younger. Her name is Donna McClure, and [she claims](http://www.fitgrandmother.com/) that Bowflex is indeed part of her fitness regimen.