Sean Fay

Infomercial pro Sean K. Fay on innovation

Sean K. Fay is the infomercial pro who played a very big role making George Foreman Grills and OxiClean household names. Sean subsequently founded and became CEO / Chief Creative Director of Envision Response, Inc., now one of the leading players in the world of “direct response” television (DRTV) advertising development. His latest work includes Brainetics, Space Bags and Foodsaver DRTV ads. It’s an understatement to say he’s seen thousands of new products and made more than a few very successful via DRTV. Here’s perspective from Sean:

Q: A lot of inventors come to you with new products. How do you consider them in general, and for selling on TV in particular?

Sean: We have a formal process for evaluating products, but before we get to that, it all begins with a first reaction on a simple question: Do I think it’s pretty cool? Will other people think it’s cool? If the answer is “yes,” I’ll move on to additional simple but important questions. Does it solve a problem? Is it something that can be used every day? Is it something that is or can be at the right price point? The answers to these questions will determine if the invention is something I want to put through our more formal evaluation criteria.

Q: What are some of these criteria that make such a big difference for DRTV?

Sean: There are many important criteria. We’ll want to see the product in use because this gives a glimpse of how it may appear on TV, to touch and feel it in order to experience it first hand, and to go through a broader range of evaluative yes/no questions. Among them: Is it highly demonstrable? Is it patented? Is it a prevention product? And does it offer a 5:1 mark-up, meaning can you sell it at 5 times your cost to make it? We of course have many more questions, which we’d want to go through with an inventor in order to be thorough and constructive.

Q: Why do infomercials so often double the offer, if you call right now?

Sean: Half of every successful DRTV commercial is because of the product and the creative. The other half is the offer. You could have the best product and the best creative in the world, but people will not buy it if you don’t give them the best offer. They’ll instead sit on the fence, or maybe look for it later in stores. So for DRTV to be successful, you must create a Now or Never Proposition. Doubling the offer is a proven technique for doing that—for getting people to buy now because if they don’t, they’ll lose out. Giving away another item of equal value is another good strategy.

Q: What lesson can you share with inventors based on your innovation experiences with George Foreman Grills or OxiClean, which were unknowns before they first appeared in your ads?

Sean: I keep coming back to one mistake that happens over and over again, that I too have made and learned from. That is, if you have a product that is very similar to something that is readily available on a daily basis, people won’t take the leap to buy your product. I once worked on a bagel making machine that made the most amazing bagels in just minutes. That DRTV ad totally flopped. The reason: you can get bagels just about everywhere for a few bucks. In contrast, a week after filming the DRTV for the bagel maker, we filmed the DRTV for the George Foreman Grill. At the time, there was no readily available way to grill indoors and ‘knock out the fat,’ so the ads did well and George Foreman Grills became a huge success.

Q: Does this mean an inventor should throw in the towel if his or her invention is like something else that’s readily available?

Sean: Not necessarily. Just be careful not to be similar to that readily available product. For example, I once did DRTV for a heated pet bed. Other heated pet beds were already in stores, at lower prices. So to differentiate this particular bed, we created a USP (Unique Selling Proposition) for the client that the heat was “therapeutic heat” for old and ailing dogs. By emphasizing the therapeutic instead of the heat, we created a very successful ad that got the phones to ring.

Q: Does the Discovery Channel TV show Pitchmen accurately portray your professional world?

Sean: It does to some extent reflect my world. However the TV show mostly helps individual inventors and entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. Some of our clients are also big companies that are using DRTV to build their brands with accountable advertising.

Q: What’s your favorite invention and why?

Sean: The George Foreman Grill, because I know the history of it being a taco maker that was collecting dust on shelves until it was re-positioned and George was brought in to show it knock out the fat, and go on to achieve great success. That and I still use it—I used mine just last week—and I really see it as something that is simple, functional, wonderful.

Editor’s Note: Before you reach out to Sean, you should know that the infomercial world can deliver very big rewards, but you’ll need to make an investment to give it a shot. Sean has developed his Envision Launch™ Brand of DRTV especially for inventors and start-ups seeking turnkey creative, production, media, web and operations set-up for one set cost. If you’re ready to make the leap, Sean’s team is more than willing to look at your invention.