You know you’ve seen it. You know you want it. I mean, it’s got “Wow” in its name! And “you know the Germans always make good stuff!” It looks as though people should have focused more on the other part of the name, “sham.”

People who have used this product claim that it doesn’t work, that it merely pushes the water around. In the infomercial, professional pitchman Vince Offer states that the ShamWow can soak up 20x its weight in water. Some who bought it say that it’s like cheap felt with “Made in Germany” stamped on it. 20 times the weight of cheap felt isn’t much…

One of the biggest red flags is in the infomercial itself, if you are able to pay attention without being to wowed. You’ll notice the part where he pours soda on the carpet and it flows out and onto the surface. When it cuts to a closeup where Vince is about to soak up the soda, the overspill is gone! Here it is…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDhct6hRNpo[/youtube]

So, who is this Vince Offer guy? Besides looking like the love child of Cornholio and a Gremlin, apparently, he’s a failed comedian / film maker who created a movie, backed by the Church of Scientology, called Underground Comedy Movie. The movie turned out to be extremely offensive flop, so the COS bad-mouthed him and pulled funding. He’s now on a crusade, of sorts, against the COS having sued them, along with the Farrelly brothers and Anna Nicole Smith. Vince got into schlepping products at flea markets and came across an absorbent towel that he called ShamWow. He’s also seen on TV selling the Slap Chop and using double entendres like, “you’re going to love my nuts!”

What is the appeal of Vince Offer, as far as direct product marketing goes? He learned early on that the more aggressive approach sells more products, something he learned from his experience working flea markets. It’s also, some speculate, due to the nifty headset. Sure, he’s on TV and it’s a completely unnecessary accessory, but there’s something about a guy wearing a headset that draws you in and makes you think here’s someone who knows what he’s talking about.

Here is fellow television pitchman Billy Mays, of OrangeGlo, OxiClean and Mighty Putty fame, calling Vince Offer out on the Adam Carolla show… Years ago Billy Mays marketed the same product, but it was called Zorbeez.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPLrm3Omkjg[/youtube]