By now I'm sure that everyone on earth has seen the tv commercials for the Hercules Hooks. We got that loud mouth Billy Mays yelling about them every 10 minutes on the tube and telling us how we can hang hundreds of pounds by these tiny pieces of wire stuck into a sheetrock wall. Well, I really doubt those pieces of wire are going to hold much more than a few pictures, and even if they are strong, the sheetrock is not going to buckle and eventually go into destruct mode.
However, in honor of our ruined ear drums from listening to that loud mouth, it's only fair that these Hercules Hooks be given the ultimate test. Lets hang Billy Mays by one of them. If the hook really works, he dies and we wont have to hear his big mouth again. If it fails, he gets to live, and his Hercules Hook commercials will cease to be shown on tv any longer. This sounds fair to me !!!!!
Well, one advantage of not having cable or dish, I guess...I've _NOT_ seen the commercials and have no idea who Billy Mays is.
But, one of the local news stations did an on-air test of something I gather must be what you're talking about -- they held about 40-lb before tearing out of the wall in several tries.
That they don't live up to advertising undoubtedly won't have much bearing on the continued showing of commercials, however, as long as they're selling enough to make it a paying proposition...
Once you see his face you'll know who he is...... Think of Oxyclean..... He's also knows as "Bear" in the gay community since he's supposedly one of them.... Too bad he dont advertise razors, he needs one !!!!!
Accordig to what I've read about Billy Mays, his carny pitchman style might not make "us" (you and me) want to buy the productshe screams about, but he's done wonders for the companies he's fronted for.
I'm certain he wouldn't have had the long run on TV he's had if that weren't the case.
The caption I placed above this photo, which I couldn't keep myself from linking to my own website says it all:
Agree totally also. I thought I was the only one that couldn't stand his yelling at the top of his lungs. Besides Hercules Hook and Oxiclean he pitched something like Orange Glow where they scuffed up a piece of wood floor with a sander, and that stuff was supposed to make it look like brand new. I think there might have been some other snake oil type of crap he yelled about also. Even if I was interested in any of the junk he peddled, I wouldn't buy it just because of him. Larry
And I thought I was the only one who wont buy certain products because of the company's commercials. There's that other screamer, "Ask Lesko" who is even more irritating than Billy Mays. Even if he had something to sell that I was interested in, I would not simply because I'd be supporting his most irritating commercials, and then there's those sickening boring Subway commercials....... Oh well, I could go on...... And on the other side of the coin, if I like the commercials that a company does, I am more likely to choose their products if it's an item I can use. I dont just buy something because I saw a commercial, but for example, I like one of the beer companies commercials, and their beer is one brand I like, so I am more likely to buy theirs. And then there's a margarine that has really funny commercials, so I am inclinded to at least see if their price is comparable to the other brands I'd normally buy.
Whether its Billy Mays or Lesko or any other screamer, I absolutely refuse to buy their products.
By the way, I was at Walmart yesterday and guess what they are selling.... The Hercules Hooks, complete with an unshaven Billy Mays photo. I wonder how many people will get injured and how many walls will get wrecked due to those things and the bad information on the commercials. While it may be possible for those hooks to hold 150lbs (as shown on the commercial), if they are made from a strong alloy, there is no sheetrock wall that is going to handle it for any length of time, and if a child happens to be in the way when the sheetrock fails, who gets sued? Billy Mays, or the manufacturer? I have never understood why people use stuff like that anyhow. An old fashioned picture hanger makes the same size hole, and anyone that hangs anything heavier than a common picture needs to have their head examined if they use flimsy stuff like that.
While advertising is about impulse buying, it is more about creating awareness and promoting brand loyalty.
So I agree with you that quality commercials increase brand loyalty. If only the reverse were true! Then there would be a drop in Guiness' sales in response to their "brilliant" commercials. Of course, Miller is running a close second for dumb commercials. Maybe they could use Billy Mays to sell Miller credit cards with "frequent drinker" award points!
The product seems directed toward people who have a hard time figuring out how to hang a picture, single women, men who played video games their whole youth, etc. Anything that makes a hole in the wall is still better than adhesive-based hangers. I'd much rather repair a hole in drywall any day, than try to repair the torn drywall paper left from removing an adhesive picture hook. For years I had to convince my wife "please use a nail, or thumbtack, not an adhesive hangar or scotch tape", I can fix a hole but torn paper is a PIA.
OK, Billy Mays' annoying commercials aside, I will admit to trying the hooks. I got them at the local borg (I think). They were a couple of bucks for 6, no more expensive than the "Nail and Hook" style in the blister packs.
I haven't tried to hang a 40# object or a person, but as far as hanging an average sized picture in the living room or a dustpan in the workshop, they work fine. In fact, if the hook is going to show, they are a lot less visible that the N&H style. They actually do just poke through the wall without any tools. They work equally as well in a 3/4" plaster/sheetrock combination as well as simple drywall. Granted, they're not going to work if you happen to be hanging something where a stud is located.
These hooks were sold through Lee Valley long before Billy Mays started hawking them.
When I first saw the commercial I thought "He must be hitting hard times, because he is pushing these cheap little wire hooks that don't earn much money and so he is probably not being paid as much as they would for a real revenue generating product".
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