Tonight, the Discovery Channel channel airs a Tribute to Billy Mays to say goodbye to the infomercial king. But honestly, Mays still has a long TV life ahead. As Marketplace editor Betsy Streisand put it this morning, it’s the “un-death of a salesman.”
I’ve seen Mays’ old ads all over the place the last couple days, saying things like, “Hi, it’s Billy Mays, back again for…” It’s a little creepy, but the guy was (is?) a great salesman. TV and film do make you immortal.
But that’s not all. We have press releases like this one:
Today, Media Enterprises, the company responsible for the Mighty(TM) brand product line, announced that the last infomercials Billy Mays recorded before his death will be aired. The advertisements will introduce the newest additions to the Mighty product line, Mighty Putty Super Pack and Mighty Tape. Additionally, the company confirmed that Billy Mays television advertisements for Mighty Putty and Mighty Mendit will now resume after a one-week respite in advertising in recognition of the pitchman’s death.
I just hope they don’t pull an Orville Redenbacher and try to “recreate” Mays. That was definitely creepy:
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
