An infomercial refers to a longer structure of video or television advertisement that stands alone as a program intended to pitch a product or service with a call to action. They are distinct from orderly television commercials because of airplay time and do not have breaks in the program. As a result, infomercials can disclose detailed information about the product or service (Rai, Alok& Kumar). The main purpose of infomercials is to prompt the intended audience to purchase.
An advantage of infomercials over regular commercials is that there’s lengthy-time provided to exhibit the product and display its functionality and purpose. Infomercials prompt a clear call to action. They typically mean to lengthy attempt to make sales by appealing to the interests and desires of viewers. The term infomercial is also referred to as paid programming and sometimes teleshopping. They usually last longer than commercials and do not have breaks in the program like commercials do.
Unlike commercials, infomercials are popular on television during off-peak hours, usually late in the evening or at night, purposively because advertising rates at these hours are lower than business hours of the day. At this time, they can run from half an hour to nearly one hour long. At this time are either idle or relaxed at home. This advertising tactic at these times catches people when they are not busy. Therefore, the product endorsers achieve more by reaching a larger audience and even positively potential customers.
An appeal to credibility and character experienced in infomercials is of a great impact than that of commercials. Infomercials try to convince their customers that the company is more dependable and of integrity; therefore, customers should consider buying their products over those from other companies. This criterion involves data from trusted professionals that fully credit the products and services better than any other brand. Often, celebrities endorse products to make more credibility and increase sales.
Commercials are meant to make an enticement to convince one to buy products, not immediately but later in the long run. Commercials can make advertisements of products that are not directly from the producer, making a possibility of consumers having options on where to buy advertised products. Buyers can miss out on discounted prices or even those limited to time deals (Zhong, Yingyu, et al.). On the other hand, infomercials tend to convince audiences to make immediate purchases within a given time.
On target audience, commercials target a range of demographics that differ from specified advertisements. Infomercials are used to make a target directed to a straight-up demographic, in particular those who stay awake during the night to make purchases of the product. Commercials are suitable to advertise all kinds of products and services, whereas infomercials are only suitable for the promotion of health, pharmaceuticals, beauty products, and those that are used at home.
In conclusion, there’s no confusion that commercials and infomercials are of similarity. The key point is that an infomercial is a pure strategy that uses television advertisement as the main medium for product promotion; commercials are generally forms of product promotion that use different media and come in different forms. This makes a general difference separating the two.
Works Cited
Rai, Alok Kumar, and Surendra Kumar. “A Conceptual Framework for Exploring Relationship Matrix between Advertising Effectiveness And Media Types.”
Zhong, Yingyu, et al. “I give discounts, I share information, I interact with viewers: a predictive analysis on factors enhancing college students’ purchase intention in a live-streaming shopping environment.” Young Consumers (2022).
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