A. J. Khubani

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Ajit "A. J." Khubani (born December 16, 1959) is an American inventor, entrepreneur and marketing executive. Known as the "Infomercial King," [1] Khubani is the founder and CEO of the infomercial firm Telebrands and a pioneer of the infomercial industry. He is the creator of the original "As seen on TV" logo and category at retail. [2]

Contents

Early life

Khubani was born in Weehawken, New Jersey in 1959, [3] and he was the first person in his family to be born in the United States. His father was an Indian immigrant and serial entrepreneur who eventually made enough money importing Japanese pocket-radios to move their family from their third-floor walkup in Union City, to a modest home in Lincoln Park. [4] Khubani attended Boonton High School, graduating in 1978. [5] He earned a degree in Business Administration with a minor in psychology from Montclair State University in 1984. [4]

Khubani held many odd jobs until founding his business at age 23. He got his first job at age 11, delivering the Paterson Evening News for $10 per week. He continued on to work as a teenage busboy at Marriott Hot Shoppes, and then as a pizza delivery man, earning a promotion to pizzeria manager while still in high school. [6]

While studying business administration at Montclair University, Khubani used his life savings, $20,000, to buy an ad in the National Enquirer advertising an AM/FM Walkman. Upon breaking even on the ad, he realized that he might be able to turn a profit. [7] He began selling products in magazine and newspaper ads, earning his first million at 26 years old. [8] He eventually recognized that TV would be a much stronger advertising medium for his products. [9] His company, Telebrands, trailblazed direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketing through direct response advertising on television. [10] Khubani designed the iconic red “As Seen on TV” logo [11] in 1989, an emblem now widely adopted around the world.

Business career

Khubani is the founder and CEO of Telebrands, a company that develops, markets, and distributes household items both direct-to-consumer and to major retail stores. [12] Founded in 1983, Telebrands created billions of dollars in revenue. [13] Khubani created the “As Seen on TV” departments at retail; this category is the second-largest producer of nonpharmaceutical revenue at drugstores nationwide, [14] raking in approximately $350 billion annually. [15]

Telebrands’ products are available in over 100,000 retail stores, [16] including Walmart, CVS, Target, Walgreens, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and 7-Eleven. [17] Telebrands has sold over a hundred million units of “As Seen on TV” products; some of the most successful products are AmberVision Sunglasses, Star Shower, Pocket Hose, and PedEgg. [18] As an inventor himself, Khubani currently holds 134 patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. [19] The products are sold in over 120 countries. [20]

The company has also been involved in a number of cases where victims alleged and ultimately proved willful intellectual property theft. [21] [22] [23] Recent reporting shows that the company systematically infringes on intellectual property and has done so over 120 times. [24]

Other activities

Education

Khubani has frequently guest lectured at Princeton University and at his alma mater, Montclair State University. At Princeton, Khubani served as chairman of Entrepreneurial Engineering within the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Designed and taught by Khubani himself and by Dan Nosenchuck, associate professor of mechanical engineering, the entrepreneurial engineering course focuses on product conception and design. [25]

At Montclair State University, Khubani was appointed to the business advisory board and is a longtime supporter of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, often hosting and sponsoring the annual Startup Montclair Pitch Competition. [26] The competition awards generous cash prizes to rising entrepreneurs to facilitate the launch of their new businesses. In 2014, Khubani received the Distinguished Alumni Award and delivered the keynote address to the graduates of Montclair University’s School of Business. [27]

Charity

Khubani has been heavily involved in supporting Children’s Hope India, a nonprofit organization that provides education for underprivileged children in India and New York. [28] He was also appointed Vice Chair of the board of The Bergen-Passaic Arc Foundation, [29] a foundation that promotes and protects human rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. [30]

Personal life

Khubani lives in Miami Beach, Florida, with his wife. He and his wife, Poonam, had a modern arranged marriage in 1985 and have been happily married ever since. [31] According to the New York Times, he invests his free time into maintaining a healthy lifestyle and spending time with family. [32]

Public recognition

Khubani has received numerous accolades over the course of his career. Khubani has received awards from Target (Excellence in Home Merchandising), CVS (Vendor of the Year), [33] Walmart, Dollar General, and many other retailers.[ citation needed ] In the direct response industry, he has been inducted into the Infomercial Hall of Fame, [34] named one of 40 Most Influential People in DRTV by Response Magazine,[ citation needed ] and notably, granted the Marketer of the Year Award and the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award by the Electronic Retailing Association. [35]

Khubani has also made TV appearances on news and talk-show programs such as ABC News, CNBC, Fox News, CNN, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The View, Dr. Phil, The Tonight Show, and Chelsey Lately. [36] He regularly starred as “The Godfather of Direct Response” on Discovery Channel TV Show, Pitchmen, [37] and featured in a film called Those Who Made It (2017), a film about Indian American entrepreneurs and their success stories. [38]

Related Research Articles

An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of direct response television (DRTV), they are often program-length commercials, and are typically 28:30 or 58:30 minutes in length. Infomercials are also known as paid programming. This phenomenon started in the United States, where infomercials were typically shown overnight, outside peak prime time hours for commercial broadcasters. Some television stations chose to air infomercials as an alternative to the former practice of signing off, while other channels air infomercials 24 hours a day. Some stations also choose to air infomercials during the daytime hours, mostly on weekends, to fill in for unscheduled network or syndicated programming. By 2009, most infomercial spending in the U.S. occurred outside of the traditional overnight hours. Stations in most countries around the world have instituted similar media structures. The infomercial industry is worth over $200 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HSN</span> American home shopping television network

HSN, an initialism of its former name Home Shopping Network, is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Qurate Retail Group, which also owns catalog company Cornerstone Brands. It is based in the Gateway area of St. Petersburg, Florida, United States.

Direct response television (DRTV) is any television advertising that asks consumers to respond directly to the company — usually either by calling a toll-free telephone number, sending an SMS message, or by visiting a web site. This is a form of direct response marketing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">As seen on TV</span> Product seal

"As seen on TV" is a generic phrase for products advertised on television in the United States for direct-response mail-order through a toll-free telephone number. As Seen on TV advertisements, known as infomercials, are usually 30-minute shows or two-minute spots during commercial breaks. These products can range from kitchen, household, automotive, cleaning, health, beauty, and pet care products, to exercise and fitness products, books, or to toys and games for children. Typically the packaging for these items includes a red seal in the shape of a CRT television screen with the words "AS SEEN ON TV" in white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telebrands</span> American direct response marketing company

Telebrands is an American direct response marketing company, and the original creator of the "As Seen On TV" logo and category of trade.

Total Gym is the brand name for a line of fitness training equipment, created by Total Gym Global Corp. It is marketed and sold by Total Gym Commercial LLC and Total Gym Fitness, LLC. Total Gym equipment is used by physical therapy clinics, hospitals, collegiate and professional sports teams, health clubs, fitness studios, and home exercisers. The relationship between the two companies is not clearly outlined on their websites.

Joy Mangano is an American inventor and entrepreneur known for inventions such as the self-wringing Miracle Mop. She was the president of Ingenious Designs, LLC, and appeared regularly on the U.S. television shopping channel HSN until her departure in late 2018. Mangano is the founder and CEO of Clean Boss, a company that develops and sells cleaning products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Offer</span> Israeli-American pitchman (born 1964)

Offer Shlomi, better known as Vince Offer or Vince Shlomi, is an Israeli-American infomercial pitchman, director, writer, actor and comedian. Offer's first major work was the 1999 comedy film The Underground Comedy Movie. Offer is the President and chief executive officer (CEO) of Square One Entertainment, Inc. He owns, produces, and appears in television commercials for his products "ShamWow!", an absorbent towel; the "Slap Chop", a kitchen utensil; a lint roller called the "Schticky"; a liquid cleaner called "InVinceable"; and another kitchen utensil called "Crank Chop". He has also officially advertised other products that he does not own, such as Quicky Grass.

Bottle Tops is a device that snaps on to most 12- and 16-ounce aluminum cans and turns them into resealable containers. It purports to also keep carbonation in the can, though that is disputed. The product is currently marketed by Telebrands, one of the leading direct-response marketing companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy R. Hawthorne</span> American marketeer

Timothy R. Hawthorne is a businessperson known for his expertise in direct response marketing, specializing in direct response television (DRTV). He founded Hawthorne Direct, the first advertising agency dedicated to producing infomercials. He is the author of The Complete Guide to Infomercial Marketing. He has been called "the king of the infomercial."

Cathy Mitchell is an author and television infomercial host for numerous "As seen on TV" products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Showcase (retailer)</span> Canadian retail company

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Anthony John "Sully" Sullivan, also known as The OxiClean Man, is a British-born producer and pitchman of media shopping in the United States, best known for his work in television commercials. He is the founder and CEO of Sullivan Productions, Inc. which produces commercial spots for brands such as OxiClean, Nutrisystem and Arm & Hammer.

<i>PitchMen</i> American TV series or program

PitchMen is a docudrama television program produced for the Discovery Channel in the United States. The show followed infomercial producers and talent Billy Mays and Anthony "Sully" Sullivan as they attempted to sell various inventions through direct-response marketing, mainly through Telebrands, one of the largest direct response/infomercial companies. The series was narrated by Thom Beers. Each episode typically focused on two different products.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Mills Limited</span> FMCG and TV Home Shopping Business

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shopping Channel (New Zealand TV channel)</span> New Zealand TV channel

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">INPEX</span>

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References

  1. ↑ "King of the Infomercial: A. J. Khubani" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via films.com.
  2. ↑ Shelly, Jared (9 July 2014). "As Seen on TV company CEO talks bankruptcy, epic comeback" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via bizjournals.com.
  3. ↑ Kwoh, Leslie. "N.J. has grown as the capital of the TV infomercial industry", The Star-Ledger , July 12, 2009. Accessed July 25, 2022. "Khubani, born in Weehawken to Indian immigrants, said New Jersey is 'not a very business-friendly state' because rents, labor costs and taxes are high."
  4. 1 2 Wellner, Alison Stein (10 May 2007). "Your Name in Stickup Light Bulbs!" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via nymag.com.
  5. ↑ Westhoven, William. "N.J. moves to cancel 'As Seen on TV'", Daily Record , August 13, 2014. Accessed July 25, 2022. "The company was founded by Chief Executive Officer AJ Khubani, a 1978 graduate of Boonton High School who was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2012."
  6. ↑ Gialanella, Donna (16 March 2008). "A.J. Khubani" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via nj.com.
  7. ↑ Gialanella, Donna (16 March 2008). "A.J. Khubani" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via nj.com.
  8. ↑ Ciccone, Alicia (25 September 2011). "A.J. Khubani, TeleBrands: My First Million" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via https:huffingtonpost.co.uk.
  9. ↑ Wellner, Alison Stein (10 May 2007). "Your Name in Stickup Light Bulbs!" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via nymag.com.
  10. ↑ Ciccone, Alicia (25 September 2011). "A.J. Khubani, TeleBrands: My First Million" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via https:huffingtonpost.co.uk.
  11. ↑ Meet the members of the Infomercial Hall of Fame (2 May 2014). "Meet the members of the Infomercial Hall of Fame" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via cnbc.com.
  12. ↑ Key, Stephen (28 August 2009). "How to get your products on TV – A.J. Khubani, CEO TeleBrands" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via allbusiness.com.
  13. ↑ "Ajit (AJ) Khubani '84". 19 May 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2022– via montclair.edu.
  14. ↑ Smith, Scott S. (18 June 2012). "A.J. Khubani Makes The Sale With TeleBrands" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via investors.com.
  15. ↑ "AJ Khubani Founder As Seen On TV $350Billion Retail Category Bulbhead Telebrands Companies". 16 March 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2018– via eliancer.com.
  16. ↑ Lafaille, Rena (18 May 2011). "Infomercial King A.J. Khubani, 'As Seen on TV,' Can Make You Rich" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via abcnews.go.com.
  17. ↑ Smith, Scott S. (18 June 2012). "A.J. Khubani Makes The Sale With TeleBrands" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via investors.com.
  18. ↑ Ciccone, Alicia (25 September 2011). "A.J. Khubani, TeleBrands: My First Million" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via https:huffingtonpost.co.uk.
  19. ↑ "Patents by Inventor Ajit Khubani" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via patents.justia.com.
  20. ↑ Clehane, Diane (29 April 2015). "Can the Infomercial King Who Gave Us the PedEgg Save Publishing?" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via adweek.com.
  21. ↑ https://ipwatchdog.com/2017/12/08/telebrands-loses-willful-patent-infringement-bunch-o-balloons/id=90797/
  22. ↑ https://casetext.com/case/telebrands-corp-v-cooper-dunham-llp
  23. ↑ https://finance.yahoo.com/news/inventors-allege-seen-tv-giants-172404957.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHQgfEVrqKL_7i2rqJ9R4_jUXcAtHLT7YMxttqp9SlYzVFEFxM88A4gRQcsTAbifid1zM98QY4nIqBJbQMap3ZC8-ii396DA0xWYN35rwtAcKroH1WZB8ZdggtlP2uPBR3KbDhKi8GLkqwWDV7zjIFrZs3kW7sjShFBc4NmkKVL0
  24. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV98SH4vsIg
  25. ↑ Wellner, Alison Stein (10 May 2007). "Your Name in Stickup Light Bulbs!" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via nymag.com.
  26. ↑ "2019 Contest Results" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via montclair.edu.
  27. ↑ "CEO AJ Khubani Convocation Speech-Montclair University". 20 May 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2022– via youtube.com.
  28. ↑ "Children's Hope India raises $1 million at annual gala". 15 October 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2022– via newsindiatimes.com.
  29. ↑ "The Bergen Passaic Arc Foundation Inc" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via instrumentl.com.
  30. ↑ "TeleBrands CEO Appointed To The Bergen-Passaic Arc Foundation Board". 14 December 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2022– via prnewswire.com.
  31. ↑ Lee, Ji Hyun (18 January 2014). "Modern Lessons From Arranged Marriages". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  32. ↑ Finn, Robin (9 July 2010). "Lamborghini? But Wait, There's More" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via nytimes.com.
  33. ↑ "Ajit (AJ) Khubani '84". 19 May 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2022– via montclair.edu.
  34. ↑ Meet the members of the Infomercial Hall of Fame (2 May 2014). "Meet the members of the Infomercial Hall of Fame" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via cnbc.com.
  35. ↑ "Electronic Retailing Association Honors TeleBrands with Marketer of the Year Award". 12 September 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2022– via prweb.com.
  36. ↑ "TeleBrandsInTheNews - YouTube" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via youtube.com.
  37. ↑ Storm, Jonathan (21 April 2009). "Jonathan Storm: A show for Billy Mays, peerless pitchman" . Retrieved 6 July 2022– via inquirer.com.
  38. ↑ "Those Who Made It". 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2022– via imdb.com.
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