From the New York Times, Full Story here.

Although the article focuses on TV Infomercials, some of these products have become big print advertisers as well.

Infomercial Products Take One on the Chin

By ANDREW ADAM NEWMAN

IT may come as no surprise that in the February issue of Consumer Reports, where the product-testing magazine rates 15 infomercial products like the Snuggie (“The blanket with sleeves!”) and the ShamWow (“You’ll say wow every time!”), nearly all are found to be lacking.

A scene from a Snuggie infomercial. Consumer Reports said the Snuggie's sleeves were too long for some and that walking in it could be cumbersome.

What might be more surprising, though, is that editors thought subscribers — savvy shoppers who scrutinize the magazine’s ratings with intensity to guide their purchases — would even give a second thought to buying, say, a SlapChop (“Dice, chop and mince in seconds.”).

But Jeff Blyskal, a senior editor at Consumer Reports who wrote the unsigned article, said that while many smirked at infomercials — also known as direct-response ads — they also fell under their spell.

“We tend to laugh at these commercials but they are very powerful persuaders,” Mr. Blyskal said in a telephone interview. “You say, ‘I’m too smart to buy this,’ but when you laugh you kind let your guard down and get drawn into it.”

In the article, Mr. Blyskal quotes Martin Lindstrom, the author of the book “Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy,” who says that infomercials “take viewers on a psychological roller-coaster ride.”

That ride, Mr. Blyskal writes, “starts with dramatizations of a problem you didn’t know you had, followed by the incredible solution, then a series of ever more amazing product benefits, bonuses, and giveaways, all leading to the final thrilling plunge of an unbelievably low price.”