October, 2001
With Steve Carell, someone named Darla, and someone named Charles
Steve:
Welcome to a very special edition of Ad Nauseam. Once in a great while, a
product comes alone that's so extraordinary advertisers, or in this case your
hosts, Darla and Charles require no less than thirty minutes to highlight its
unique qualities.
(a clip is shown of one of those QVC/HSN knock off channels)
Darla:
I'm so excited about today! It's the Limited Treasures Ten Coin Bear Set!
Steve:
See what I mean! Naturally, I'm intrigued by the Limited Treasures Ten Coin Bear
Set. Who wouldn't be? But I have so many questions. Like bears? Coins? How?
(clip starts up again)
Charles:
These bears are designed to feature ---
Darla: (interrupting)
The state quarter!
Charles:
That's right! The actual state quarter errantly sealed in the foot of the bear.
Steve:
Wow. That answered questions I didn't even know I had! That's the beauty of the
infomercial. It lets consumers spend a full half hour familiarizing themselves
with one particular product. In this case, teddy bears with coins in their feet.
(clip)
Darla:
Don't waste time trying to drive around and wasting all that gas trying to find
these limited ones ...
Steve:
Ugh! Too late! But the main reason the commercial works so well is because the
advertiser is intimately aware of who their product appeals to.
Darla:
Not only can you be a bear collector you can be a coin collector, and have
two-in-one combined, you've got a coin collection, and a bear collection all in
one!
Steve:
Right there! That's the mission statement of this whole campaign. To present
someone like myself with the opportunity to combine his lifelong love of coin
collecting with his passion for bear collecting! Plus, advertisers didn't forget
to highlight the educational value of this product.
Charles:
I can't say honestly before I got these bears that I could of named the first
ten states in the union.
Darla:
Are you saying you can now?
Steve:
Uh-oh!
Charles:
Uh...Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut...
Steve:
Arkansas! Hawaii!
Charles:
Mass., Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Virginia.
Darla:
Yay! He did it!
Steve:
Phew!
(end of clip)
Darla:
I'm Darla ...
Steve:
And I'm buying!!