Telebrands is the company whose products feature the As Seen on TV logo. Their logo may say As Seen on TV, however, they also advertise in print and on the Internet. Retail stores in more than 120 countries carry the direct response company’s products. Telebrands is so successful because they only produce and market products practically guaranteed to be hits.
CEO A.J. Khubani, known as the Infomercial King, founded Telebrands in 1983 after working in the family import business in New York City. He started by advertising in the National Enquirer, and then television, selling AmberVision sunglasses, which he also sold to retailers. Khubani realized that he could sell products on television and build awareness so consumers might buy the product in a store if they didn’t respond to the commercial.
Khubani is a leader in the direct response television industry. Fox and Friends, the Today Show and The View featured his contest to find TVโs next great pitchman or pitchwoman. Two of the brands pitchmen, the late Anthony Sullivan and Billy Mays appeared with Khubani on several episodes of the Discovery Channel’s Pitchmen.
People kept coming up to Khubani with their inventions so he decided to host official Inventorโs Days. The CEO’s keen sense of what mass market products will sell so he can make the determination in just a few minutes. Khubani likes products which solve a problem and a professional pitchmen can easily demonstrate their usefulness on television. He also prefers products which sell for $9.95 or $19.95. Thousands of inventors pitch their idea each year hoping for the next PedEgg foot scraper, Telebrands’ best seller of all time. Khubani choose about five products a year to market.
In 2018, Montclair State University in New Jersey held a pitch contest at the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship. Alumnus AJ Khubani generously donated the $80,000 prize pool.
Telebrands branched out into book publishing in 2012 with Who Knew? 10,001 Easy Solutions to Everyday Problems which sold more than two million copies. Khubani says they have more success than traditional book sellers because they reach a wider audience at major retailers, including Walmart and Target. The company recently introduced Colorama Coloring Book, an adult coloring book.
On the company’s 30th anniversary, Telebrands was recognized by the Electronic Retailing Association as Marketer of the Year. They also won Best Short Form Infomercial of the Year for the Pocket Hose.
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