Head's up

You might remember a commercial for the Buttoneer from long, long ago. I think it was a Ronco product, although I'm not sure if Ron Popeil is willing to take credit for it. The product put buttons back on clothing.

But the commercial was memorable. The announcer came on the air and said, "The problem with buttons is that they always come off." Then, in case you missed it, he repeated it: "The problem with buttons is that they always come off."

People remember that extra reminder. Apparently they remembered it from 40 years ago.

When the makers of "Head On" wanted to introduce the product, some marketing research indicated that repetition worked. Or, should I say, still worked. So the ad consists of a hurried voice saying, "Head On -- apply directly to the forehead. Head On -- apply directly to the forehead. Head On -- apply directly to the forehead."

That's it. No indication of what the product does. Just buy and apply.

It's apparently for headaches. The same company has similar adds for arthritis and hemorroids. They aren't quite as annoying. Then again, they couldn't be. You can find them all on the Internet if you look a little.

The manufacturer has spent millions on advertising, usually going for quantity over quality. In other words, it's hard to avoid late at night. The campaign has gotten attention. In fact, Countdown on MSNBC did a segment on it.

By the way, someone described the remedy as "homeopathic," a fancy word for "doesn't do much" because it has no active ingredients. But you have to give the company credit. As Keith Olbermann pointed out on Countdown, those Madison Ave. guys spend millions on a campaign, and Head On gets our attention by repeating a sentence.