Ah, the Snuggie – the blanket with sleeves. We all know what
it is and how ridiculous and unnecessary it is, but now that we all can see
infomercials and commercials in a new light, it’s kind of entertaining to watch
the commercial for the rhetorical devices it uses. So let’s explore them, shall
we?
Right off the back, the commercial addresses a problem that
affects many Americans today: the cost of living. It somehow links the
ineffectiveness of regular blankets to heating costs. This is an example of the
commercial outlining a problem that the consumer hasn’t thought about: your
blanket doesn’t work, you’re forced to turn up the heat, and the heating bill
gets more expensive. I bet none of you have ever thought of your sleeveless
blanket as being a financial hazard. The ad forces you to make that connection
so that the solution of buying a different type of blanket doesn’t sound like
such a bad idea.
Throughout the ad, they mention problems that could be seen
as minor inconveniences caused by sleeveless blankets, but nothing that seemed
too troubling, such as the blanket slipping off (but notice how the woman is
awkwardly trying to get covered with the regular blanket… she’s horrible at
it!), the inability to hold a baby, the inability to hold a dog, the inability
to eat or walk, etc. By outlining all of the things you could do with a
backwards robe/can’t do with a blanket, the viewer is forced to see what could
be slightly better and is automatically dissatisfied with his/her current
blanket situation because the audience is being reminded of the minor
inconveniences that don’t really cause many troubles. The more we think about
them, the more bothersome they become.
At the end, the commercial tries to seal the deal with a
free book light that’s given to anyone who calls within a certain time span.
The company doesn’t want the audience to (understandably) double think their
decision of buying a Snuggie, so they give an extra incentive to convince the
consumer to buy.
I guess infomercials are kind of fun to watch now.
I don't know... infomercials are still just an annoying waster of time in my opinion. Unless something is going to drastically help me, there is no point in watching the infomercials besides making fun of them. It's always interesting to poke fun at the Sham-wow/ Slap Chop guy because we know what he did. While they overplay the need and the advantages of having this product (oh look, your hands will be cold now beause they're not under the blanket! Yippee!), they still do not do a good enough job of convincing me that I need this product.
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