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Snuggie Gets a Warm Embrace From Pop Culture
The Cult of the Snuggie threatens to take over America! Or at least, a substantial number – four million – late-night couch spuds, according to Maria Puente recently in USA Today.
Snuggies went on sale in August, began TV advertising in October and started shipping to retailers in December and have sold four million, count them four million to date.
“Snuggie got the highest rating ever for any product, even (among) people who had to wait,” said Scott Boilen, president and CEO of Allstar products Group of Hawthorne, N.Y., which conceived and markets the China-made Snuggie.
The Snuggie, an oversized fleece blanket with sleeves, stars in an ubiquitous TV ad so cheesy it’s practically art, and apparently wildly entertaining. The ad shows people wearing Snuggies at a sporting event, cheering and high-fiving each other while dressed … sort of like medieval monks.
Bolen said, “Every once in a while, a product transcends advertising to become part of pop culture.”
Indeed, Snuggies seem to be everywhere. See them on Facebook – nearly 250 groups, pro and con; one fan club lists 5,999 members. Watch them on YouTube – nearly 300 parody videos posted, including one titled “the Cult of the Snuggie,” with 146,00 views as of Tuesday.
Jay Leno makes fun of them: “Lard-ass quilt was the original name! Why not just put your robe on backwards?” Ellen DeGeneres spoofed them, trying one on during her show. Fox News spotted someone wearing a Snuggie in the crowd at President Obama’s inauguration last week. There are even snarky Snuggie-love sites on the Internet, such as Snuggiesightings.com, where fans post photos, videos and “news.”
The Snuggie concept is not new, nor is it the only such product on the market, but the Snuggie proves once again that an attractive price (two for $19.95, plus free book light online and on TV about $14.99 for one in stores) and clever marketing can take you far in American retailing.
Directing Response, a resource for direct response marketers, producers and media buyers, is produced by Teddy Parker, Executive Producer for ChopShop Direct. She can be reached at 949-838-0355 or via E-mail at teddy@chopshopdirect.com.
Five Predictions for DR Marketing in 2009
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While the economy is still in flux with a number of issues still facing the average consumer, the DR market may see some stability and even some growth in 2009. A year of stability is just what the market needs. Stability will allow businesses the time to examine where they are, create efficiencies and increase […]
Posted at 8:29 pm on 01/12/09 | No Response yet | The Editor in
So Happy Together
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What kind of online advertising should you use: search or display? Marketing experts agree that if you really want to drive targeted traffic to your site, build brand awareness and increase sales, you should be using both. When you tie search ads, display ads and your landing pages together with a consistent […]
Posted at 8:54 pm on 12/2/08 | No Response yet | The Editor in
Marketing and the Economy
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It’s easy to ignore the role marketing plays in shaping nations. Marketing not only affects what people consume, but also what is produced. Marketing, like it or not, shapes our political process. Marketing guides selection of politicians, then impacts the way politicians govern once elected and in office. The truth is marketing can be more […]
Posted at 11:31 pm on 11/10/08 | No Response yet | The Editor in
Recession-Resistant Marketing
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It’s nearly impossible to attend a DR industry event these days without perpetually hearing questions about the fate of the economy, and how it’s likely to impact budgets, revenues, etc.
But over five hours at a recent DR event, the “e” word wasn’t mentioned once. There wasn’t a peep about how oil prices and other macro-economic […]
Posted at 7:14 pm on 10/28/08 | No Response yet | The Editor in
Agency-Client Realtionships are Evolving
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Agencies and marketers alike agree that the “social” aspect of social media is changing marketing dynamics. Because of person-to-person interaction within social media, word-of-mouth is becoming more amplified, more obtainable and more measurable.
Brands are looking to their agencies for entree into social media. The big question is do agencies have the know-how to provide this […]
Posted at 4:31 pm on 10/14/08 | No Response yet | The Editor in
Go Mobile Before It Gets Going
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Marketers are being encouraged to go mobile before it moves away from them. With only about 20% of online advertisers dabbling in mobile marketing, most are still content sticking with the wired Web.
Holding marketers back from mobile are a number of factors including consumer reticence, limited reach, insufficient measurement and a simple lack of familiarity […]
Posted at 10:27 pm on 07/22/08 | No Response yet | The Editor in
Mobile Marketing Association and New Guidelines
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The Mobile Marketing Association is expecting that new guidelines for mobile video and TV marketing will be completed by October of this year. These guidelines include revisions for display and messaging, aspect ratios and banner dimensions, maximum file sizes and formats, among other specifications.
The Mobile Marketing Association will include recommendations for situations where the consumer […]
Posted at 12:36 am on 07/17/08 | No Response yet | The Editor in