Infomercial Production: A Blend of Advertising and Entertainment

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The television is a powerful medium of mass communication. A television show can reach out to billions of people around the world. This is the reason why Hollywood entertainment has become a phenomenon. A sci-fi or fantasy film can be viewed in other countries. Most especially, American series can be seen in local cable televisions, and they are among the top-grossing media productions of all time.

In between TV programs, are product advertisements. Aside from audience share and network rating, TV programs are supported by advertisements. Companies pay TV producers for their timeslot. The most viewed timeslots are primetimes. In American television, primetime telecasts are noontime and early evening. Primetime TV programs receive the highest audience share. Hence, most advertisers pay for primetime advertisement airing. Basically, TV productions are fueled by advertising.

Formats of TV programs have evolved over time. There are now advertisers who produce TV shows for specific timeslots. These are called infomercials. The term infomercial refers to the nature of infomercial program formats. They intend to inform their audience about specific products and services in a commercial program. They aim to advertise and sell products.

Infomercials are paid telecasts. They run for a minimum of five minutes. In Toronto, companies produce infomercials through infomercial production companies. Infomercial production companies are also known as media production teams. Manufacturing firms and advertising agencies coordinate with media production teams. They brainstorm, conceptualize, plan, and produce infomercials. In the United States, approximately $150 billion of consumer products are sold through infomercials.

Generally, infomercials sell food and dietary supplements, cleaning products, appliances, books, beauty products, personal fitness devices, and home exercise equipment. The basic format of an infomercial production is talk show. A host gathers testimonials about the benefits of a product or service. For instance, home exercise equipment infomercials show photos of customers before and after product usage. These encourage more product purchases from the audience. They flash hotline numbers on the screen for telemarketing.

Some infomercials have storylines. These are called storymercials. Storymercials disguise marketing in infomercials. They look like ordinary sitcoms and TV programs. They incorporate products, brand names, and services on the program script. Storymercial format is the most innovative and effective infomercial production. It blends entertainment, marketing, and advertising in one TV program.

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