Summary: If you want to be famous, avoid prostitutes, and
not just if you want to be a Governor.
Vince Shlomi, a.k.a. Vincent Offer
Schlomi, a.k.a. Vince Offer, was a failed comedian whose comedy career did not
get past his 1999 "The Underground Comedy Movie" (See
IMDB), became
a TV pitchman competing with Billy Mays, owner of Mays Promotions, Inc., based
in Odessa, Florida.
Shlomi is best known for his
two-minute Sham-Wow TV infomercial which was first busted by Boycott Watch for
deceptive advertising - See our video on
YouTube. In a scene in which Shlomi spills coke on a carpet
for a demonstration, Boycott Watch exposed the fact that Shlomi switched scenes
before the cleanup, thus making the cleanup demonstration possible - a
television advertising bait and switch. The Boycott Watch video exposing the
bait and switch is a hit on the Internet, one that has garnered many comments,
most of which insult the host, some of which are anti-Semitic.
Since that time, Shlomi also
produced and starred in a commercial for "slap-Chop," a product concept which
has been around for many years. Slap Chop is a small hand-operated food
processor similar to products sold by companies such as Ronco. The new
commercial, however, is replete with sexual innuendo, including comments such
as "you'll love my nuts," "You're going to have an exciting life now," a bikini
reference and "just bang it." Boycott Watch had considered making a video
exposing this, but refrained from making such a video because we did not want
to be seen as having an agenda against Shlomi. We also did not test the
product, but question its functionality considering the deception we saw in his
Sham-Wow infomercial.
On March 27, 2009,
The Huffington Post and
The Smoking Gun both reported that Shlomi was arrested for
aggravated battery in a South Beach, Florida hotel. Shlomi was allegedly bit in
the tongue by an alleged prostitute and he allegedly punched her. The alleged
hooker was also charged with aggravated battery.
"It's awfully difficult to be taken seriously as the spokesman for home
products when you are either found to be with a prostitute, or charged with
aggravated assault - Shlomi was charged with both, and that may very well end
this career" said Fred Taub, President of Boycott Watch. "Consumers will buy
from infomercials, but only from people they trust. The Billy Mays phenomena is
a great example of this - Mays was a virtual unknown, but his warm style
created trust with his costumers, this people continue to buy products Mays'
pitches. Shlomi, on the other hand, has used deceptive ad tactics and now
destroyed his own credibility - he may as well pull his commercials because
people won't buy from a man consumers can't trust."
