The over-the-top gesticulation found in made-for-T.V. infomercials. Why?

Cafe Society
1

I’m sure we’ve all seen late-night ads for products like this before, and seen the actors in the commercials doing their very best to show-without speaking a word-why it is that you need this product. By this I mean over-the-top acting of how difficult doing whatever it is that needs to be done without said product is; followed by over-the-top acting of how great and wonderful their lives are with the product.

For example, while it’s not the product I linked to, one of these late-night commercials featured a lantern-like lamp that was battery powered and lasted a very long time (to be used in cases of power-outages, etc.). To show how great this product was, they showed a woman very frustratingly trying to eat her dinner with her knife and fork in hand, while simultaneously holding a flash light over her food. It just wasn’t working! She was really really getting frustrated and she just wanted to eat!

These commercials crack me up. They are made as if the people who are going to be viewing them really need to be beaten over the head with the message of the product’s usefulness. The ridiculous facial expressions, the overly-active body language; it’s a formula that ALL these commercials use. I wonder if they all have a common denominator; such as one director or something.

2

Because the products that replace the incompetent behavior is useless for non-idiots.

3

Ha! Yes! Exactly! :smiley:

4

And terrible grammar, I might add.

5

Awesome.
The video was pretty good too.

6

What I like is when they show the luckless sap trying to do things the old way, using an ordinary knife or skillet or dishtowel, and it’s all in black and white, like some old magic lantern show. Because if you use the advertised product, your world suddenly bursts into color like Dorothy opening the door into Munchkinland.