Ed Valenti
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Ed Valenti is one of two marketing experts credited with the formation of the infomercial, or "long-form" advertising format at Dial Media, Inc. Valenti's informericals first aired in the mid 1980s and aimed to sell the Ginsu knife, but the success of the Ginsu campaign led to widespread adoption of the format for a variety of products.
Working with his partner, Barry Becher, Valenti developed the well known catch phrases and format of the long-form advertisement. In contrast to traditional short-form advertising, such as the 30-second or 60-second spot, Valenti's long-form advertisement was designed to mimic a full half-hour television program. The intent of this new format was to elevate a particular product to the role of protagonist, showing the product in a variety of uses through demonstrations, hopefully leading to direct sales of the product. Such products are often only available through consumer direct orders and can not be purchased in stores. The first such product marketed by Valenti to achieve multi-million dollar sales was the Ginsu Knife.
Valenti's contributions to the long-form advertisement include some now well known catch-phrases, such as "But Wait! There's More" and variations thereof. Such statements suggest to viewers that they are taking part in a live marketplace experience in which the vendor continuously offers the buyer more items at the same purchase price as an escalating enticement.
Valenti realized that, in order for the long-form commercial to be successful at driving immediate sales, viewers would need to advised to make an immediate purchase. To satisfy this need he and Barry Becher created 1-800 numbers where phone banks were ready to take orders the moment the infomercial aired. In order to add a sense of urgency to the purchase, the viewer was advised to order the item immediately, rather than postponing it. To achieve this goal, Valenti coined the phrase "But if you call within the next five minutes, we'll include..." The phrase often claimed a special price or bonus item would only be included in the purchase within the few minutes following the informercial. A cautionary phrase was usually included, warning viewers that "items are running out, so call now!" In a presentation to sociology students at Harvard University, Valenti admitted that such phrases were hyperbole: The products would never run out, and bonus items would be awarded no matter how long a caller delayed from the end of the informercial.
Valenti also developed the idea that infomercials ought to demonstrate the featured product being used in ways the average consumer would probably never find a regular need for. This measure was intended to increase the perceived value and utility of the product. It is for this reason that the Ginsu knife is often seen cutting through metal cans or a bar of steel, though few consumers would ever find a need for such functionality.
Today Ed Valenti is the COO of PriMedia in Providence, Rhode Island, and oversees the purchasing and reselling of ad time for a variety of retail products. Due to his success as a marketing guru, Valenti has moved into publishing. His career/life guide, The Wisdom Of Ginsu uses metaphors from the Ginsu informercials as a way of emparting Valenti's self-help advice.
Sources
- Barry Becher & Edward Valenti, The Wisdom of Ginsu: Carve Yourself a Piece of the American Dream
- Ed Valenti Bio at PriMedia [link].
- Sociology Lives, Harvard University Department of Sociology Volume 18, Number 1. Fall 2003.
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