EnduraCool: A towel that sells itself

Infomercials have a bad reputation. The products sometimes look cheap, almost too good to be true. The lessons that you can discover, however, from a sales, marketing, and merchandising perspective are many.

I’ve been watching some of the NBA and NHL playoffs (yes, I do watch hockey) on television. The final teams are battling it out on the ice and the court. Six months of grinding, fighting, pushing, shoving and strategizing come down to one fluke bounce of the puck or one misjudged inbounds pass. Sweat is spilled, elbows are thrown and bodies heave and lunge in every direction to put the puck in the net or the ball in the basket.

One commercial that’s been in heavy rotation on ESPN and TNT for the past few weeks has been a commercial for EnduraCool, a towel that appears to have magical powers to cool down even the most overheated worker or athlete. The commercial packs the best of a long-form infomercial into a 30 or 60 second spot.

Did you ever think your life was lacking a towel to cool you off after a hard workout or a grueling day of outside labor? The commercial does a superb job of selling the benefits of a plain, simple, pedestrian towel.

So what’s the formula? What makes this product pitch a lesson to follow? Here are the 3 keys:

1. Credibility/Authority: Yes, the product does have a 1-800 #, but it’s also available at all Lowe’s stores. Lowe’s is a recognizable, proven, trusted brand; if they are carrying this product, the legitimacy skyrockets. This is no fly-by-night operation.

Super star athletes Dwayne Wade, Reggie Bush and Serena Williams endorse the product. We may never move fluidly like Reggie or drive to the hoop with purpose like Dwayne, yet we’d certainly like any athletic edge to help us get there.

“The towel helps me stay focused on my goals,” Dwayne says as he places the towel around his neck. I nearly reached for the phone.

2. It’s simple:

• Step 1: Soak the towel in water.
• Step 2: Rinse the towel.
• Step 3: Snap the towel, unleashing the cooling power.

It’s perfect timing that the EnduraCool towel enters the market now because summer is on the doorstep. Whether you need a cooling sensation while cutting the grass or refreshment while washing the car outdoors, the EnduraCool towel seems to provide instant relief.

3. Show me, don’t just tell me the benefit: The secret sauce appears to be the technology that keeps the towel cool while the outside world bakes and scorches in the summer heat. The EnduraCool commercial shows a temperature gauge on an outdoor worker’s shirt – the temperature reads 89 degrees. The temperature gauge then points to the towel and tells a different number: 59 degrees. Now that’s an escape from the summer heat.

EnduraCool does a masterful job at packing credibility, celebrity and clear, true benefit into a 30 second commercial. Leverage these tips, tricks and techniques for your business’ advertising, promotion and positioning. You may find yourself with more business than ever before.

Until next time,

Dan Naden