It Slices, It Dices...Ron Popeil, Marketing Genius

Well, I saw the other day that Ronco is going into bankruptcy. Could this be the end of the Veg-o-Matic and the Popeil Fisherman?

Before it's too late, it's time to think about what Ron Popeil (the Ron of Ronco) can teach us marketing types about concise product naming and enticing messages for our products - let alone bringing to market products that are useful and just plain handy-dandy. Sure, they may meet a need you didn't even know you had, but still...

For sheer marketing genius, what more do we need to know about the Veg-o-Matic beyond what's captured in its name and in those timeless words "It slices. It dices." Say no more! More is less!

And the Popeil Pocket Fisherman? Keep one in the glove compartment. Or pocketbook. Drive - or walk by - a stream and see a trout leaping. Just add a worm and you're ready to go.

The Showtime Rotisserie: Set it and forget it.

Flip-its - some kind of fork for spatula-thingy for fliping meat on the grill. If that wasn't a perfect name for the product, I don't know what is.

Solid Food Injector. Pefect, again. Says just what it does. Shove stuff into the chicken when you don't want to use your fingers.

Okay, Ron Popeil may have fallen down a bit with his spray on hair product, the Popeil GLH System. The GLH stood for great looking hair. I'll just bet. Nothing like a spray-painted bald spot.  Hey, there, good looking....I mean, great looking.

The Dail-O-Matic wasn't his best naming scheme ever, but once you realized you dialed the thickness you want for that veggie, and you realized that it's the first cousin to the Veg-o-Matic, well, I'm there.

"But wait, there's more...."

Ron's Inside-the-Shell Egg Scrambler seems like a product in search of a need. Who doesn't already own a fork? And if the yolk and white don't get scrambled perfectly, well, who really cares. Add ketchup and no one will notice anyway.

"Operators are standing by!"

 

Thanks to Forbes for a August 06 article that listed the Top 10 Ron Popeil inventions.

And, by the way, it's not Ron that's going bankrupt. He sold out a couple of years ago.