“I can already feel the definition!” – Shake Weight 2013
Infamous infomercials have always been the greatest example of filtering in marketing. Shake Weight, which heavily promotes through above-the-line promotional advertising that cleverly plays on the fact that the motion necessary to use the product can be easily misinterpreted due to suggestive shaking.
They even use attractive women, which is evidently a very effective strategy with today’s short attention span, and contrasting individuals who need exercise to those who are already strong in the demonstrate of the product.
I think the sales pitch is quite persuasive because the product doesn’t target a certain consumer group, but rather an issue that affects most people: their physical image, laziness, and going to the gym to work out even though the product itself will in the end not provide the results that make it a valuable purchase.
Shake Weight states that the exercises are more efficient in reducing fat and increasing muscle mass than common exercises for the upper body. However the muscle groups of the experimented individuals did not exert the 60% voluntary isometric contraction necessary to increase muscle mass nor does the product provide the full range of motion to properly develop the results marketed (Yahoo, 2013).
I thought the product was promoted well due to the commercial going viral and consumer-oriented focus. The strategy focused on transactional orientation by pitching that the product is worth the money using various marketing ploys rather than developing brand loyalty and relations. I’ve also realized that this business model is ironically becoming a great example of the opposite of what academia teaches in terms of marketing concepts and ethics.
References:
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/study-shake-weights-really-173600546.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/shake-weights-dont-work-2013-10