Looking around on different sites on the net, I found an interesting story about the famed infomercial product the Snuggie! Apparently, it is selling like hot cakes with over 4 million orders all ready sold throughout our great nation. This makes me wonder how Shamwow is doing. But anyways, I thought for my first blog ever,I would try to figure out how this is selling so well and look at the Snuggie groups PR tactics.
After reading the article from http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2009-01-27-snuggie_N.htm and seeing the commercial on the TV a number of times and laughing at the product, I couldn't believe from reading the article that it sold around 4 million. This thing is ridiculous. It's a blanket with sleeves, but for some reason a moron like myself can't come up with a better invention than the snuggie. Putting that aside, lets dive deep into the PR realm of the Snuggie.
How did they sell 4 million already? Its only been on TV for less than three months. Here is how I see it, they say one size fits all, everyone in the family can use it, and on top of all that you get a free reading lamp at an incredible 15 dollar value!
Ok, lets figure this out. Who is always cold and loves to read? Well, in my family it's my 95 year old grandma Betty. Snuggie is targeting old people because they are always cold. Every time I go into any old person's place the thermostat is cranked up, summer or winter.
Not only is the snuggie targeting old people, it is also targeting people who are too lazy to through a blanket on and off of themselves (this includes me). Now, lets go over this snuggie's target audience. Old people, readers, and lazy cold people(I like to call these people couch potatoes in the fridged Midwest).
Another reason I think the Snuggie is doing so well is because the economy. I now blame everything on the economy, just like every one else. I failed my first chemistry test this semester. Guess who's to blame....THE ECONOMY! People buy the Snuggie because there heating bill is so expensive and with the horrible economy the Snuggie saves bundles of money on heating cost.
The Snuggie's commericial is pretty lame, but funny. Everyone looks so happy doing various activities on the commericial. The truth is everyone wants to be warm and happy, especialy around our parts. What other Public Relation tactics do you think the snuggie is using to get people buying it?
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Interesting post. Everyone I know seems to get a good laugh out of the Snuggie commercial. Very good point you made about the economy, because if I remember correctly the narrator mentions high heating costs in the ad, which gets people to go out and buy the Snuggie, hoping to save money. This is interesting because I'm sure most of these people already have quite a few blankets lying around, why waste money to buy a new one?!
ReplyDeleteI think one of the main reasons this products sells is that it shows people in situations that generally happen and then overexaggerate them, acting like the world is going to come to a screeching hault if an arm happens to come out of the blanket. :)
HA HA.... this is a great and funny PR example. In my eyes the product is also completely ridiculous and I believe that the people on the commercials look like Cult Members when they where them things. Although the product is absolutely ridiculous the Snuggie PR people are ingenious. It reminds me of the article about the Chinese Volleyball team we read over in class. Because like the volleyball PR people, the Snuggie PR people got the word out through face book, the internet, and other modern day tactics such as saving money on heat due to the economy. The light lamp looks like a cheesy croc of junk also. But IF YOU ORDER NOW YOU GET IT FREEEEEEEE!!!!! haha
ReplyDeleteGood post on a good PR topic and a nice profile picture as well..
Wow, so i just read the article about those snuggies and you are right they sound lame and come with cheap free lamp.
ReplyDeleteJust because the economy is in a downslide and people might not run their heat as much they could try just wearing more clothes instead of buying a snuggie. I like to weat sweat pants and shirts, and almost everyone i know has at least one pair of each. If someone were to get me the snuggie and give me the free lamp as a gift i would feel like i was not worth much.
In my family we already have plenty of blankets and so do a lot of other people i know. Plus i am sure if i checked online you could find some better blankets cheaper online or if you made it yourself.
I don't see what is wrong with the Snuggie product. They finally made a thick material with arms on it. Wait a minute, that's why they invented sweaters! It AMAZES me that this product is doing so good. The only way I can see someone buying this product is for four reasons. 1) I can see someone buying this as a joke for someone because they are idiotic. 2) I can see an outdoor cult buying these for their ceremonies. 3) The Ku Klux Klan may need a warmer uniform and the white snuggie would work famously. 4) People are just that lazy to not get out from under their blanket. Now, realistically, I don't see the Klan or cults buying these things in bulk. Therefore, congratulations Snuggie PR people, you are doing an awesome job!
ReplyDeleteWell this is a great example of advertising, advertising, and advertising! If this product was thrown onto the shelves at Wal-Mart, I would say their sales would have been fractional to the sales they have been having. This is also a great example of how America is now "Lazy America". Is it too much work to be under the blankets and have to reach outside the blanket to change the channel? "WOW!" is all I have to say. You have to give credit to the company for doing a great job on targeting certain groups to sell their product to. I am sure their advertising costs have been well over a million dollars. It is on every channel! I was waiting for a Super Bowl commercial for the Snuggie!
ReplyDeleteCan you say hilarious? I think this is a product that sells itself. Although there is plenty of adevertising and PR work that goes into selling a product, clearly there is a demand for this. I think it's kind of sad that our society has an issue with lifting the blanket to get to a remote or read a book, but at the same time, it really is an awesome blanket! I mean it is basically an oversized robe and I know I wouldn't mind owning one. I probably wouldn't order one but love it it was a gift for me. Snuggie is one of those awesome outside the box inventions that I wish I would have thought of first, I was just mentioning to a friend when you can sell a product that you had fun creating it is a lot more fun and feels like a lot less work. With that being said, I think when selling something is fun and creative it naturally sells it self! Don't you wish all PR was so easy???
ReplyDeleteThat's too darn funny! People will sell anyting to make a buck. When I first saw the commercial I honest to God thought it was a joke until it got to the end of the commercial and there was no fake number to call! I was making fun of the commercial one day when my mom chimed in from the kitchen "and to think i almost ordered one for each of my kids." I almost choked on dinner laughing so hard. This idea went right up there as her idea of a calendar as a great gift idea. I wonder how many people are buy a Snuggie just to say they own a Snuggie. Whatever the reason...IT'S WORKING!!
ReplyDeleteLOL, the snuggie is one lame excuse to get out your wallet, dail a phone number and give someone your credit card number to recieve something you could probably make yourself. In fact, how hard would it be to beg your mother to have her make you a snuggie. Then again, who wants to put up with that sort of hassle. It's true, non of want to waste our time and worry about the little things, but its freakin cold out. This is why the snuggie works so well in the midwest targeting elderly people. Yes, they are always cold and yes, they always have the heat cranked up. So just get them a snuggie or make them one so you don't have to go through the pain of dying in desert.
ReplyDeleteI can’t believe people actually buy those things, but someone will always buy these gimmicks. I have though after I saw the commercial the first time that it was one of the stupidest ideas I have ever seen on television and then to find out that sold four million snuggies. I guess I better come up with some crappy invention and advertise it like they did in this case. Either some people have too much money or don’t know how to manage it.
ReplyDeleteYes, I would have to agree with Ben. I do not see how people would buy the snuggie…. it is called a blanket us it people! Plus whenever I see the commercial for the snuggie it makes me think that everyone in the commercial is a member of a cult because they look like cult gowns. And yes I see how they are targeted towards the older folks. Maybe it is a cult invite when you order one and in the year 2012 everyone that has bought a snuggie is going to jump into a ritualized massed suicide. But who knows… I am most likely wrong in fact I hope I am wrong.
ReplyDeleteThis is a perfect example of a practical invention, which is so simple nobody has thought of it before the snuggie came out. When I first saw an advertisement for this product, I concluded that it probably was not going to do very well. However, after hearing how successful it has been, I actually am not surprised. This practical invention is useful to people of all ages. If I were to have a one, I probably would use it. A large percentage of the population likes to relax and either watch TV, or read a book and the snuggie enhances the experience.
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