Flipping through the satellite channels (grr...satellite bad...cable good) at a beachside Turkish hotel, I found the holy grail -- a Magic Bullet infomercial! While it has been renamed "Merlin" for European audiences, I was equally dazzled in Turkey (just as I was here at home) by the fruit smoothies the "bullet" whipped and the onions it chopped.To even further heighten my brief TV viewing, the next channel I flipped to was a "find God" informercial. I know super Jesus people like to take their message to the world and all, but taking their message to a non-Christian oriented country? I wish them luck.
4 comments:
Should it really be such a surprise that our foreign friends appreciate home shopping as much as we do? Were the infomercials locally produced, or dubbed into the vernacular (as I remember they were when I used to watch them in Japan)? How does one say "Set it, and forget it!" in Turkish, I wonder...
The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if the export of informericals isn't a strategy implemented by Karen Hughes in her role as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy. Once the rest of the world understands our love of Ronco products, it is only a matter of time before we can realize world peace.
I *think* the Merlin informercial was dubbed, but the original language is a mystery. It definitely wasn't the US version of the informercial, so perhaps it was German.
But you're right...what else do we American have to share with the world other than shopping from the comfort of your home and Coke, of course!
Oh my! What an ad! I didn't know that the food in Turkey was only in 2D -- I'm sure people are more than willing to pay for the Merlin's "3D Effekt". Does it really add an extra dimension to one's food, or do they just include a pair of 3D glasses in the box?
Kur ve unut! (Set up and forget)
Bashlat ve unut! (Start it up, and forget)
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