I can’t change channels quickly enough when he comes on. Fifteen years ago, the only thing I’d have hired him to pitch was a competitor’s product. But that’s because I’m an idiot. Max Appel, not an idiot, hired Mays in ‘95 to pitch Orange Glo and made millions.
Now I think of Billy Mays as a lesson in DM humility, a perfect example that the fact that I (or you or anyone else) doesn’t like something is irrelevant. The only question is … does it work? A Billy Mays pitch works, not on me but on enough people to make a huge difference. Now he’s got his own TV show. It’s called The Pitchmen.