In praise of the ‘As Seen On TV’ badge
As a writer, I find one of my natural instincts is to resist perceived wisdom. Sure as eggs is eggs, if somebody were to say something is true I find myself taking the opposite view. In defence, I might argue that it helps me resist cliches and view things differently.
Mostly it makes me annoying during any discussion.
One such slice of “truth” is that the old as-seen-on-tv sticker aids sales. Years ago, whenever I saw one, I would wonder at the sort of people who could be swayed by such a message, as though the marvel of TV was enough to add lustre to a product.
I was missing the point of course. This wasn’t one of those cliches to avoid or subvert. I only had to be asked to purchase one of those nice gooey chocolate puddings “off the telly” to understand, on a practical level, that it acted like a pack shot, aiding recognition to drive in-store sales.
That such a simple trick could have eluded me, that its use could be misconstrued as some kind of old fashioned trope best avoided, showed me the importance of not reacting against everything simply because it was in common usage. It is like avoiding rhyming couplets in a poem on the basis of them having been the mainstay of poetic form for hundreds of years. If they are appropriate,use them. Use them for the effect they have.
When exploring the form your message is to take don’t dismiss the obvious. And don’t throw out those “new and improved” stickers yet either.