Hi, it’s Vince with Shamwow! You’ll be saying wow every time you use this towel! It’s like a chamois! It’s like a towel! It’s like a sponge. A regular towel doesn’t work wet – this works wet or dry. This is for the house, the car, the boat, the RV! Shamwow holds twenty times its weight in liquid. Look at this! It just does the work! Why do you want to work twice as hard? It doesn’t drip, doesn’t make a mess. You wring it out, wash it in the washing machine. It is made in Germany, you know the Germans always make good stuff. You can cut it in half, use one as a bath mat, drain your dishes with the other one, use one as a towel. Olympic divers, they use it as a towel. Look at that! Completely dry! Put a wet sweater, roll it up, it dries your sweaters. Here’s some cola, wine, coffee and pet stains. Not only is the damage gonna be on top – there’s your mildew. That is going to smell! See that? The most absorbing We’re gonna do this in real time! Look at this! Put it on the spill, turn it over! Without even putting pressure, fifty percent of the cola right there. You follow me, camera guy? The other fifty percent, the color starts to come up. No other towel’s gonna do that! It acts like a vacuum! And look at this – virtually dry on the bottom! See what I’m telling ya? Shamwow! You’ll be saying wow every time!
http://vinceoffer.net/shamwow-vince-and-other-shamwow-fun/shamwow-commercial-transcript/ (Vince's fan site)
This transcript of the Shamwow commercial uses a conversational tone and a fast narrative pace to make the reader/watcher buy the product.
The informal tone of the commercial allows it to reach a wide audience. Vince uses everyday words and catchy phrases "You’ll be saying wow every time you use this towel!" to appeal to anyone who may be watching the commercial. He refers to the viewers as "you", as if he is in a conversation. The various uses of the towel are plainly described and the product is demonstrated in a way anyone could understand.
The ad's pace is kept fast in order to keep people's attention. This is done in part through the use of sentence fragments "The other fifty percent, the color starts to come up". They help avoid wasting time with extra words. Listing is also used to keep the attention of the audience. Sentences like "This is for the house, the car, the boat, the RV!" give information quickly and efficiently.
Judging from the popularity of the commercial, I would say that these techniques are very effective. It does a great job of grabbing your attention, and not allowing you to lose interest. This allows it to fulfill its purpose of making you want to buy a Shamwow.
Very interesting subject matter. I have never seen this particular commercial but it almost sounds like a satirical piece on the campaign rather than the real thing. I like your analysis, it almost legitimizes this as something worth reading.
ReplyDeleteHaha your creativity here is much appreciated. I like how you noted the phrase I appreciate your analysis at the end of the effectiveness of the Sham-wow commercials. By including this bit, it shows that you understand how literature's power does not go underestimated in the world of business.
ReplyDeleteAh, the power of writing in all venues, even for pieces of crap like the Shamwow. Your essay was fine, but I'd like to see you relate the types of writing best for advertising in a more generic way, using the Shamwow commercial as a typical example. This could be a great satirical piece.
ReplyDeleteCassidy Murphy