What Advertisers Can Learn From Billy Mays

Mays had achieved a kind of cult status that made him interesting to almost everyone, and contradicted the common misconception that only a select demographic watches DRTV. Google "Billy Mays" and you will find more than 3.5 million entries that transcend demographic boundaries. My 10-year-old-nephew was a big fan. My erudite lawyer called to ask about Mays. The week after his death, I was at a dinner with senior-level marketing executives from two Fortune 500 companies, and most of the dinner conversation surrounded Billy. As often happens when analyzing DRTV, consumer feedback on Mays had absolutely no correlation to his success. He was polarizing. Many consumers were disturbingly vocal in their dislike for him. But the true test of the effectiveness of DRTV is based on results, not random consumer complaints, and that was where Mays shined. People would complain about Billy, but he got them to buy, from TV and at retail. We produced two ads with a different spokesperson and two with Billy. There was no comparison. Consumers wanted to buy from Billy, and not just any Billy but the loud and in-your-face pitchman doing interesting demonstrations. Accordingly, it is no surprise that years later, after OxiClean was acquired by mega-marketer Church & Dwight, Billy remained the brand's spokesman, doing his pitch the same way he always had. Mays' success reinforces many facts that direct-response marketers innately understand but brand marketers still find elusive, including:

What Advertisers Can Learn From Billy Mays

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