Gimmick

In American English , a gimmick is a unique or quirky special Feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries. Product gimmicks are sometimes considered mere Novelties , and not really that relevant to the product's functioning, even earning negative connotations. However, some seemingly trivial gimmicks of the past have evolved into useful, permanent features. According to the OED , the word is first attested in 1926 , defined in the ''Wise-Crack Dictionary'' by Main and Grant as "a device used for making a fair game crooked".

Finding a successful gimmick for an otherwise mundane product is often an important part of the Marketing process. For example, Toothbrush es are often given various gimmicks, such as bright colors, easy-grip handles, or color-changing bristles so they appear more exciting to Consumer s. This is often done when trying to appeal to Children , who often get more excited about the gimmick than the product.

EXAMPLES OF GIMMICKS

Television

In Television , gimmicks are often employed to make a TV Series memorable, or help create a distinct Theme .

Some particularly gimmicky shows include:

'' The Simpsons '', which features two gimmicks in the show's introduction sequence, Bart Simpson writing some lines as punishment on the chalkboard, and "couch gag" in which the cast runs onto a couch in some wacky manner. There are also some episodes where Lisa Simpson plays different music on her saxophone.

'' South Park '', in which the character of Kenny is killed off in nearly every episode

'' Frasier '', which features "title cards" that introduce each scene, as well as a mimed scene over the closing credits to Kelsey Grammer's song about tossed salad and scrambled eggs.

'' Home Improvement '', which uses comical, computer-generated "wipes" to change scenes, and features a character named Wilson whose face is always obscured (see also Unseen Character )

See: List Of Gimmicks In Television Shows

Art

Al Hirschfeld hid his daughter's name, NINA in every one of his Caricature s.

Professional wrestling

In Professional Wrestling , the term Gimmick is typically used to describe a wrestler's in-ring persona.

''For more, see Gimmick (professional Wrestling) .''

Sales

A Pricing gimmick is often employed to increase sales of certain items, or to reduce Inventory on items that aren't moving well or are Overstock ed. Examples of these are BOGO or '''BOGOF''' (also '''B1G1''' or '''B1G1F''', an Acronym for '''buy one get one''' ''' Free '''), and '''DotD''' (an Acronym for '''Deal of the Day'''), typically used in Sales Promotion s at various Retail stores.

In Stage Magic

A "gimmick" is the device that enables an illusion to work. A gimmick is not seen by the audience, as opposed to a "fake", which the audience ''does'' see but does not realise that it is a "fake", mistaking it to be a normal object.

In electronics

Two wires touching, not connected, possibly twisted together several times, provide a capacitor of very few Picofarad s as Capacitive Coupling . This, quite unofficially, is called a gimmick too.

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