Infomercial Tapestries
Description: Girls Gone Wild was an adult entertainment franchise created in 1997 that was known for its early use of direct-response marketing techniques, including late-night infomercials, to sell their VHS video releases. The videos typically involved camera crews at party locations engaging young college-aged women who expose themselves or otherwise act wild, especially during Spring break. By the late 2000s, Girls Gone Wild began offering their wares primarily through their website as streaming videos, downloads, and as physical DVDs. In February 2013, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, ending Girls Gone Wild as it was known.
Description: Infomercials proliferated in the United States when the Federal Communications Commission eliminated television advertising content regulations of the '50s and '60s in 1984. The first infomercials hit the air in 1985 and by 1994, an estimated 90% of all stations were airing infomercials. Hawking everything from egg cookers and portable microphones to kitchen knives and fishing poles, infomercials were everywhere, though still to this day, most commonly found filling late night spots after regular programming has completed. The 'As Seen on TV' moniker became a common label in stores for products that were originally introduced via infomercial and now available at retail as a way to further connect the product to the extended TV sales pitch.
