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Billy Mays Dead

Canadian stations have been running OxyClean ads with Billy Mays ever since he died, as if nothing happened. Yesterday it was CBC, and I contacted them. It aired again today, I think on Global.


whitfm said:
I'm just hoping that TV doesn't decide to pay tribute to him in the same way they've done with Michael Jackson's videos.
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Imagine Billie Jean playing over a montage of Billy Mays clips...
 
BRNout said:
The last two examples are excellent; however, in this case, Mays was known for being THE pitchman. It's all he was known for. The other fellows were Hollywood stars who happened to be doing ads. Each had movies and TV shows floating around out there (and still do).
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Of course we will never know but I have a feeling that sooner or later had he lived Billy Mays would have ended up doing either movies or TV sitcoms. My wife was telling me she had read online that Mays was actually offered a role in that new Eddie Murphy flick "Imagine That", of course he wasn't in that movie and thats a good thing as it was a dud of a flick..even for Nickelodon who made that movie.
 
Tasteful or not, that's a matter of opinion.

Upon Michael Jackson's death, radio stations across the country played all of his music as a tribute. Some thought it too sad to hear it over and over again, so some stations pulled the opposite. Those stations were considered inconsiderate because they didn't do anything.

These ads are Billy's work, his trademark, his legacy. Would you want the last thing you did to be scratched just because you died, or would you like your work continued on in respect for your contribution? Of course, it's commercials and people make money off of them, but don't people make money off music sales and movie/tv shows? It has been speculated that half of Michael Jackson's debt could be eliminated by the explosion of album sales from this past weekend following his death. Who gets the money? Surely, he doesn't.

As a matter of fact, on the upcoming release of Might Putty wood and its advertising, there's a scene of the stuff pulling the "Jolly Roger" from the "Pirates of the Carribean" movies, with Billy Mays on it. That prop ship has been in a number of movies, also featuring classic actors like Marlon Brando. Billy, on the show Pitchmen (where the behind the scenes shots were shown), mentioned he was proud to find out that he would be mentioned among those fine actors because he shot a commercial there. The airing of the commercial would solidify (and pay homage to) that historical moment in his personal life. And, because his personal life is public, he shared that moment with us.
 
Come on now. Does anyone really care if a Billy Mays infomercial is still running or not? If a sponsor paid me money to run that infomercial after he died, I'd still run the spot and take the cash. I'm sure most would, as no station today is really in a position to turn away a buy. And wouldn't that be the same thing as not playing any Michael Jackson because he died too? If you are sooo uptight that Billy is still on TV, I have a wonderful piece of advice for you,....TURN THE CHANNEL.

Same to you :p lol
 
FloydB said:
Tasteful or not, that's a matter of opinion.

Upon Michael Jackson's death, radio stations across the country played all of his music as a tribute. Some thought it too sad to hear it over and over again, so some stations pulled the opposite. Those stations were considered inconsiderate because they didn't do anything.

These ads are Billy's work, his trademark, his legacy. Would you want the last thing you did to be scratched just because you died, or would you like your work continued on in respect for your contribution? Of course, it's commercials and people make money off of them, but don't people make money off music sales and movie/tv shows? It has been speculated that half of Michael Jackson's debt could be eliminated by the explosion of album sales from this past weekend following his death. Who gets the money? Surely, he doesn't.

As a matter of fact, on the upcoming release of Might Putty wood and its advertising, there's a scene of the stuff pulling the "Jolly Roger" from the "Pirates of the Carribean" movies, with Billy Mays on it. That prop ship has been in a number of movies, also featuring classic actors like Marlon Brando. Billy, on the show Pitchmen (where the behind the scenes shots were shown), mentioned he was proud to find out that he would be mentioned among those fine actors because he shot a commercial there. The airing of the commercial would solidify (and pay homage to) that historical moment in his personal life. And, because his personal life is public, he shared that moment with us.
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Bad analogy between the works of an artist and an advertisement meant to sell a product. It's a completely different thing. Look, if I find it a bit distasteful (given all of the attention that Mays' death has gotten) then others must too. Therefore the ads lose effectiveness and should be pulled. You're selling something! That's quite a bit different than a tribute.

Great example tonight: the Discovery Channel is doing a "Pitchmen" marathon in tribute to Billy Mays. And I think that's a great way to remember the man. THAT is a show and it does fit your analogy. Except that it's in good taste. In fact, it's a very nice tribute to the man. Unlike selling Arm and Hammer using Mays' image 30 seconds after airing the news story about his death. There's a big difference.

If you're running an ad, you want the public to be thinking of your product and not the poor dead pitchman that you see in the ad. A lot of you in this thread seem to be missing this point while you pound me with minutia about old ads with dead guys pitching stuff. This is different. Even the Lou Rawls comparison doesn't hold water and it matters not what year he died. Because it's another poor analogy. This situation is different.

As for Billy Mays wishes (as if any of you could know that), I'm sure the last thing he'd want is to distract from the product that he was committed to sell. Right now, that's exactly what his ads would do.
 
I respectfully disagree. Billy's work was commercials, and that's what he was known for. And, music is a product, and that is what Michael Jackson was known for. I understand people feeling uncomfortable seeing a Billy Mays commercial and, truth be told, I was annoyed with them when he was alive. And, going back to MJ, there were many people who didn't want to hear his music, or even talk about the situation, but they were bombarded with tributes all day. So, how do you think they felt.

My point is each and every one of us have our own feelings about this stuff. Even when he was alive, Billy Mays presence alone made some people avoid certain products. Others were drawn to it. Others don't give a flying flip. But, selling these products were his life's work, and these products are known because of him.
 
Saw a spot by him on the AMC Channel last night for, ironically health insurance, icanbenefit.com.
"I trust them with my familie's health & so should you" was his last line of the ad :eek: :eek: :eek:!!!
 
Good taste or bad taste? I don't know which of either it is. It's probably more neutral. It is what it is.

From what I've seen of him, it seems like Billy Mays would rather have us watching his commercials after his death instead of not airing his commercials in reverence or memoriam or whatever.

Nah, it wasn't the same as painting The Sistine Chapel or recording "P.Y.T." or being the hottest Angel or sidekicking for Johnny Carson, but it was his 'art' and what he was known for, and apparently what he enjoyed doing. More power to anybody who racks that up in life.
 
1069_KIFR said:
So does everyone move up? I mean will the Sham-Wow guy get more gigs?
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Vince was arrested recently for beating up a prostitute so he'll probably have to lie low for awhile.

Everyone else picks up the slack. :D
 
Maybe the Dell Dude will resurface & start doing them since his pot arrest happened some time ago. "Dude, you're gettin' a ShamWOW!"
 
I recently saw about 5 seconds of some infomercial with a very porked-up Jon "Bowzer" Bauman (from Sha Na Na fame).

I never realized how badly The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour affected him. ;D
 
I was never a fan of Billy Mays commercials. Shouting at me isn't about to entice me to buy a product.

With that said I was sorry to read about his untimely passing.

From what I've read on here Mays was a very likable person and will be missed by his work colleagues and friends. And let's face it, he made a name for himself along with a nice paycheck, so one can't say he wasn't a failure at the profession he chose.

My condolences goes out to his family.
 
Billy never liked ShamWow. He called it shamboom I think. As someone asked him to use that on his Discovery show. Also recently on The Tonight Show Conan thought one of his products was ShamWow.
 
Mays plugged a competing product to ShamWow: Zorbeez. Consumer Reports tested the two head-to-head (link: http://consumerist.com/5163584/sham+wow-and-zorbeez-tested-on-attack-of-the-show) and apparently wasn't impressed with either, but ShamWow performed better than Zorbeez.

The Voice of Reason accurately sums up the conundrum many of us find ourselves in RE: Billy Mays. No one wishes to speak ill of the dead, and reports I've heard say that he was a sincerely nice guy and actually used and believed in the products he plugged. That kind of genuineness is admirable. And there's no doubt that he was successful. But, successful or not, his pitch style annoyed the devil out of most of us.
 
dhett said:
The Voice of Reason accurately sums up the conundrum many of us find ourselves in RE: Billy Mays. No one wishes to speak ill of the dead, and reports I've heard say that he was a sincerely nice guy and actually used and believed in the products he plugged. That kind of genuineness is admirable. And there's no doubt that he was successful. But, successful or not, his pitch style annoyed the devil out of most of us.
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100% agreed. Out of all the recent celebrity deaths, his is what really shocked me the most.
 
WMC2006 said:
Not to be too morbid, but as I (and maybe someone else) mentioned in either the Michael Jackson or Farrah thread, bad stuff happens in threes (Ed, Michael, and Farrah).
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Or sometimes sixes (Mays, Malden, and McNair [football became showbiz long ago so he counts; dunno if Steve was mentioned previously on this thread]).

ixnay
 
ixnay said:
WMC2006 said:
Not to be too morbid, but as I (and maybe someone else) mentioned in either the Michael Jackson or Farrah thread, bad stuff happens in threes (Ed, Michael, and Farrah).
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Or sometimes sixes (Mays, Malden, and McNair [football became showbiz long ago so he counts; dunno if Steve was mentioned previously on this thread]).

ixnay
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Gale Storm is the third member of this group.

I saw Billy in a commercial over the weekend. Is this legal?
 
quadraphonic said:
Good taste or bad taste? I don't know which of either it is. It's probably more neutral. It is what it is.

From what I've seen of him, it seems like Billy Mays would rather have us watching his commercials after his death instead of not airing his commercials in reverence or memoriam or whatever.

Nah, it wasn't the same as painting The Sistine Chapel or recording "P.Y.T." or being the hottest Angel or sidekicking for Johnny Carson, but it was his 'art' and what he was known for, and apparently what he enjoyed doing. More power to anybody who racks that up in life.
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I'm all in favor of continuing his commercials if no one objects. Orville Redenbacher's company used him for some classic commercials after he died. Nothing wrong with that.

Is "P.Y.T." really the best example of a Michael Jackson song? It seems kind of cutesy to me. Actually, it's more my taste than most of his stuff.
 
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