Holly Dawson is a believer of buying products that are hawked on TV informercials. Some of the items she has bought include the Iron Gym, Sham-Wow and a Snuggie.

Holly Dawson admits it: She’s a sucker for infomercials.

The Lawrence resident is the proud owner of the Magic Bullet blender, ShamWow chamois, Snuggie blanket/shirt hybrid and Iron Gym, all advertised in that cheesy infomercial-type manner.

“They just make everything look awesome,” Dawson says. “They’re so (darn) happy. They’ve got spunk, but the product carries my attention.”

Dawson refuses to buy the products over the telephone due to pushy salespeople and instead seeks out the “As Seen on TV” section whenever she goes to the store.

And she’s not alone. According to Marketrights International, only 15 percent of the As-Seen-On-TV products are sold by phone, while the remaining 85 percent are sold in retail.

As infomercial fans mourn the recent death of Billy Mays, the man known for pitching OxiClean and a variety of other products, it’s a good time to reflect: Why are we drawn to — or away from — infomercials?

Charles Marsh, associate journalism professor at Kansas University, says these commercials are standing out by breaking the pattern of the usual commercials. And the more over-the-top the personality is, the more attention the advertisement gains.

Marsh also encourages people to read in order to help fight against blind consumerism.

“As we read less and less, we become more gullible,” he says. “It’s easy to analyze written messages, but we don’t criticize TV messages as well.”

As for the popularity of the pitchmen themselves, Doug Ward, an assistant journalism professor at KU, has a few different theories. One is that the salespeople are ministers of sorts, preaching about the healing power of products.

“It taps into our belief that a product can transform you into something you aren’t right now,” Ward says.

He also sees the advertisers as entertainers, such as Vince Shlomi of ShamWow.

“It’s tapping into the thrill of entertainment in our society,” he says. “This guy is almost like a magician, making us ask, ‘How does he soak all of that up?'”

Comparing them to carnival barkers at midways selling remedies and potions, Ward says that putting them on TV allows all of America to become friends with the salesmen.

“They’re creating people you become familiar with,” he says. “Someone who you’re comfortable with. Someone you know.”

Dawson insists that the ads have never spurred any impulse buys, and she only purchases the items she finds useful after doing research and reading customer reviews. As for the quality of the products, she says she’s mostly satisfied.

“I like the ShamWow, but I put it in the dryer and now it doesn’t work, and definitely not as well as on TV,” Dawson says. “They exaggerated it a lot on TV, but you’re always going to be disappointed when you have those expectations.”

Although she thinks people can find a use for most any product in the commercials, Dawson does draw the line at one creation.

“The Hairagami sucks,” she says. “It’s a slap bracelet for your hair.”