Vince the ShamWow guy is flawless DRTV

Given the “love him / hate him” response to my post on Billy Mays, the king of direct response TV, I can only imagine the response I’ll get from this piece on Vince the ShamWow guy.

If you think you see a lot of Vince the ShamWow guy now, buckle up. I recently saw Vince in a new spot selling a kitchen gadget called the SlapChop. His full name, appropriately enough, is Vince Offer. And I think you’ll be seeing a lot more of Vince.

Why? Because Vince has a natural gift for the pitch. He’s quirky, cocky, glib, and quick. While he might drive you nuts if you had to spend an hour with him, he’s perfect for short form TV ads.

Most importantly, you can’t take your eye off the guy. He grabs and holds your attention.

As I pointed out in my post on Billy Mays, it really doesn’t matter if you like the commercials. What matters is what works. And Vince the ShamWow guy works.

Okay, let me have it. I’m a fan of Vince. Are you?

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January 22, 2009 | Filed in Television Ads

24 Comments

Comments

24 Responses to “Vince the ShamWow guy is flawless DRTV”

Phillip Zanini (PhillyMac) on January 22nd, 2009 11:11 am

Are you kidding? This guy rocks. His style is easy but has energy. I like him SO much better than SHOUTING BILLY MAYS! And Billy looks silly with the way too dark color job he had done too… Vince RULES!
Dean Rieck on January 22nd, 2009 11:22 am

Phillip:
I like Billy. He’s the king of pitchmen right now. If there’s a TV on anywhere in your house you can hear him. That really grates on some people, but it sure sells products.
Wayne West on January 22nd, 2009 12:02 pm

Vince is out of this world. I’m not sure he’s what I’d think of as a typical pitchman. But over the past few weeks, I’ve overheard people talking about him everywhere! At the drugstore, the mall, around the neighborhood … people are laughing and chatting about ‘ShamWow’ and ‘SlapChop’ and that ‘wacky guy’. So from an awareness standpoint, he seems to work. (Now, does that equate to actual sales? I dunno.)
David Moore on January 22nd, 2009 12:28 pm

Vince drives me nuts. I can’t get through a whole commercial. But Bill Mays, you see him everywhere and in one respect it adds to his credibility but, in another, you think “This guy will say ANYTHING for a paycheck!” So, with that in mind, my vote goes to Blend Tech’s Tom Dickson http://www.youtube.com/user/Blendtec.
Dean Rieck on January 22nd, 2009 12:28 pm

Wayne:
I’m sure it equates to sales. If Vince weren’t selling, the advertiser would yank the spots in a heartbeat.
Michael Kelberer on January 22nd, 2009 1:18 pm

As a business writing pro, what I appreciate about the Vince commercials is that while Vince is holding your attention, the language is too, and the script follows all the rules of persuasive business writing.
Chad on January 22nd, 2009 1:23 pm

Vince is awesome – why else would I have purchased ShamWow

But hey, I even like shouting Billy Mays…
Dean Rieck on January 22nd, 2009 1:59 pm

Chad:
Do those ShamWows really work? Looks like an ordinary shamois.
Janice Cartier on January 22nd, 2009 2:45 pm

ROFLOL- Now I have to HAVE a Slap Chop. I looked on utube at the spot…I love Vince.

And The Brit Top Gear guys- move over, Blendtec is in town..

We used to call ShaWows boat cloths. They work and don’t take up so much room.
Chad on January 22nd, 2009 2:53 pm

Well, I’m not sure about the full capabilities of a regular chamois, since I’ve only used them for cleaning the car before. But the ShamWow has already pulled a full glass of cranberry juice out of my grey carpet – so I’m pretty happy with it.
Dean Rieck on January 22nd, 2009 3:22 pm

Janice:
I’m pretty sure you can get a “SlapChop” just about anywhere … you don’t have to order it off TV. Go to any kitchen gadget store and they’ll have something similar. My wife is the queen of kitchen gear, so we have at least two of those things. Actually, we have two or more of everything. She doesn’t share my less is more philosophy.
Janice Cartier on January 22nd, 2009 3:41 pm

LOl- I COUld use the Cusinart but, Vince is having so much fun and it’s so simple. Who knew? ShamSlapWow!

It’s like tools, and art supplies, nifty kitchen gear is, IMHO, a necessity. Two, I can see two as reasonable. 45 lemon squeezers, now that would have me worried.
Chad on January 23rd, 2009 12:55 am

Dean – you can get a SlapChop type thing anywhere…but does it open like a butterfly? haha…Vince is priceless.
Bryan on January 23rd, 2009 8:45 am

I think Vince and Billy are great – but how do these guys expand their offerings without losing trust? Call it the “Bob Vila Syndrome” – pitchmen who expand too far and endorse ANYTHING and in the process lose all their credibility.
Dean Rieck on January 23rd, 2009 11:31 am

Bryan:
Billy Mays may be stretching it in the insurance commercial. But it’s been running since May 2008, which says it’s working. I’m fairly sure he won’t stray too far from household products and gadgets, but there are so many of those it’s not like he’s going to run out of clients any time soon.

Here’s some info on Billy with a list of products he’s sold: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Mays
Sherla Lenhard on January 25th, 2009 12:07 pm

I LOVE VINCE……..HE’S HOT………
Janice Cartier on January 25th, 2009 2:55 pm

“You’re going to slap everyday.”~Vince Offer

Now there’s some copy. I checked. Ours does NOT open like a butterfly. I can feel my wallet opening.
Frank on January 26th, 2009 9:24 am

I took a ShamWow to the beach and made the mistake of accidently taking it into the lake (I forgot it was over my shoulder) ..I couldn’t believe what was happening! the ENTIRE lake suddenly disappearing! People on rafts and inner tubes were suddenly sinking and teetering on the muddy gravel bottom. Nobody could figure out what happened..until later I got home and wrang out my shamwow and flooded the neighborhood. Amazing!
…(looks around at room of people like Napolean Dynamite mouth breathing)
Janice Cartier on January 26th, 2009 11:36 am

ROFLOL

(@Frank- just get your groove on and dance…)
Patty Coldwater on January 27th, 2009 6:30 pm

But wait, there’s more! Vince is con”vincing”. Quick, upbeat, spontaneous (seems so). He comes across as believeable. Billy shouts too much (maybe his market is my parents’ age and a bit hard of hearing) for my taste. I know his angle works, too.

Interesting to see most of these products appearing in SPAM knock offs. I fell for the Pedi-Paws (couldn’t believe I did it!) which mascaraded in my in-box for the as seen on TV PetiCure (sp?). Direct mail scams can’t hold a candle to what I see in my IN-Box!
Pam Linwood on January 31st, 2009 5:18 am

I love Vince. And every time I seem him, I’m mesmerized and I just gotta say …WOW! (I really enjoyed Frank’s beach story — write Vince a testimonial!)
not a fan on March 1st, 2009 3:53 am

He may be fascinating but the head set does hide the fact that he has something wrong with his face. What happened to him?
Dean Rieck on March 1st, 2009 12:00 pm

not a fan:
I think that’s just his facial expression.
пapaзит on May 23rd, 2009 12:45 am

Ну и что, результат есть ?