Arthur Schiff
Encyclopedia
Arthur Schiff was one of least known but most influential promoters of American kitsch
products.
Schiff ran his own company and ingenious marketing campaigns for 23 years. During his long career in advertising, he produced over 1800 direct response TV infomercial
s, including the Steakhouse Onion Machine
, Ambervision Sunglasses
and the Shiwala car mop. One of the most famous products worked on by Schiff is the line of Ginsu
knives
, during his three-year term of employment as Creative Director at legendary direct marketing firm Dial Media, founded By Ed Valenti
and Barry Becher in 1975, in Warwick, Rhode Island
.
Schiff's commercials gained a degree of notoriety for their effective use of catchphrases, including his signature creation "But wait, there's more!" He also coined several other widely used and often parodied phrases used in infomercials today, including "Isn't that amazing?" "Isn't that a Clever Cleaver!" and "Act now and you'll also receive ... "
The history of the Ginsu product line can be traced back to 1978, when Schiff's employer Edward Valenti was looking for the best way to market a line of "ordinary" kitchen knives with the rather dull brand name "Quikut". Working as part of a creative team that included Valenti and Becher, Schiff rebranded this product as Ginsu. Schiff recalled some years later, "I went to sleep that night, still wrestling with the problem," he wrote, in typically fervid style. "And then it happened! I bolted out of bed at three o'clock in the morning and yelled, 'Eureka! I've got it. Ginsu!' I wrote the bizarre word down on a piece of paper and went back to sleep. When I got up again four hours later, the paper was still there and that strange word was still on it. I stuffed it into my shirt pocket and headed off to work."
The combination of Schiff's unusual Japanese
sounding name for the knives with product demonstrations and copy lines previously developed by Valenti and Becher, many of which had been used to sell their first three multi-million selling products (Miracle Painter, Miracle Duster and Miracle Slicer) on TV prior to Schiff's employment, seemed to launch Ginsu to an even higher level of success and consumer retention.
Much like the ice cream
brand Häagen-Dazs
, the Ginsu name was nonsense, but nevertheless extremely effective in associating the product image as a "samurai
sword" for the kitchen. The partners (Valenti and Becher) hired a local Japanese exchange student to appear as a chef. The most famous Ginsu television advertisement began with a hand karate
-chopping a two-by-four board. According the opening copy co-written by Valenti and Schiff, "In Japan
, the hand can be used like a knife. But this method doesn't work with a tomato
" (cut to Valenti's hand karate chopping...and squashing...a tomato).
Schiff died of lung cancer
in Coral Springs, Florida
in 2006.
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
products.
Schiff ran his own company and ingenious marketing campaigns for 23 years. During his long career in advertising, he produced over 1800 direct response TV infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
s, including the Steakhouse Onion Machine
Blooming onion
A blooming onion, onion bloom, onion blossom, or onion 'mum is a dish consisting of one large onion which is cut to resemble a flower, battered and deep fried. It is served as an appetizer at some restaurants....
, Ambervision Sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
and the Shiwala car mop. One of the most famous products worked on by Schiff is the line of Ginsu
Ginsu
The Ginsu knife is a product best known for the sales techniques used to promote it.The "amazing" Ginsu knife became known to millions of television viewers in the USA through ubiquitous television advertisements in the 1970s...
knives
Kitchen knife
A kitchen knife is any knife that is intended to be used in food preparation. While much of this work can be accomplished with a few general-purpose knives – notably a large chef's knife, a tough cleaver, and a small paring knife – there are also many specialized knives that are designed for...
, during his three-year term of employment as Creative Director at legendary direct marketing firm Dial Media, founded By Ed Valenti
Ed Valenti
Ed Valenti is, with his partner Barry Becherone, the marketing expert credited with the formation of the infomercial, or "long-form" advertising format....
and Barry Becher in 1975, in Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000...
.
Schiff's commercials gained a degree of notoriety for their effective use of catchphrases, including his signature creation "But wait, there's more!" He also coined several other widely used and often parodied phrases used in infomercials today, including "Isn't that amazing?" "Isn't that a Clever Cleaver!" and "Act now and you'll also receive ... "
The history of the Ginsu product line can be traced back to 1978, when Schiff's employer Edward Valenti was looking for the best way to market a line of "ordinary" kitchen knives with the rather dull brand name "Quikut". Working as part of a creative team that included Valenti and Becher, Schiff rebranded this product as Ginsu. Schiff recalled some years later, "I went to sleep that night, still wrestling with the problem," he wrote, in typically fervid style. "And then it happened! I bolted out of bed at three o'clock in the morning and yelled, 'Eureka! I've got it. Ginsu!' I wrote the bizarre word down on a piece of paper and went back to sleep. When I got up again four hours later, the paper was still there and that strange word was still on it. I stuffed it into my shirt pocket and headed off to work."
The combination of Schiff's unusual Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
sounding name for the knives with product demonstrations and copy lines previously developed by Valenti and Becher, many of which had been used to sell their first three multi-million selling products (Miracle Painter, Miracle Duster and Miracle Slicer) on TV prior to Schiff's employment, seemed to launch Ginsu to an even higher level of success and consumer retention.
Much like the ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
brand Häagen-Dazs
Häagen-Dazs
Häagen-Dazs is a brand of ice cream, established by Jewish-Polish immigrants Reuben and Rose Mattus in the Bronx, New York, in 1961. Starting with only three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and coffee, the company opened its first retail store in Brooklyn, New York, on November 15, 1976...
, the Ginsu name was nonsense, but nevertheless extremely effective in associating the product image as a "samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
sword" for the kitchen. The partners (Valenti and Becher) hired a local Japanese exchange student to appear as a chef. The most famous Ginsu television advertisement began with a hand karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
-chopping a two-by-four board. According the opening copy co-written by Valenti and Schiff, "In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the hand can be used like a knife. But this method doesn't work with a tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
" (cut to Valenti's hand karate chopping...and squashing...a tomato).
Schiff died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in Coral Springs, Florida
Coral Springs, Florida
Coral Springs, officially chartered July 10, 1963, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 121,096...
in 2006.