The Right Man for the Job

“A German-made electric shaver, today only, at an unbeatable price”—the host of a certain TV shopping program is trumpeting at the top of his voice about how superbly this shaver performs, leaving no stubble behind, and how comfortable it is.

It certainly looks impressive, and, happening to want a shaver just then, I found myself glued to the program.

“Call number so-and-so; for the first so-many callers only, we’ll offer replacement blades at this price.” Before I knew it, smartphone in hand, I was dialing the designated number.

“Our lines are extremely busy at the moment. Please hold, or call again later.” Suppressing my impatience, I hung up after a single ring, lent my ear once more to the host’s still-ongoing shouting, and stared hard at the screen.

Wait? This host has himself shaved clean, presumably—but the area under his nose and his chin are awfully dark. Is he even using this shaver? An unexpected thing began to bother me. My eagerness cooled a little, and in the end I never did make the call.

The visuals that sell a product are very important. But why they had him deliver the sales pitch for this very shaver—that mystery only deepens for me still.