Depending upon your age, you either know the name Ron Popeil...or your parents have at least one of his inventions in their house. Or maybe, you know the SNL parody with Dan Aykroyd (or the next one).
"The King of the Informercial," Ron dominated television in the 70s, 80s and 90s with a dizzying array of products that made life easier for an increasingly time-starved world. The Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the Smokeless Ashtray were just a fraction of the inventions he created and hawked on TV.
And, as the infomercial was coming to it's close and you were oh so close to picking up the phone, Ron would always intone, "But Wait...There's More" and toss in the closing offer. The "other" Bill Geist featured Ron Popeil on CBS Sunday Morning two decades ago.
Ron passed from this world last week at 86...and as I watched Bill's interview with him over the weekend, a stray thought came to mind.
Was Ron Popeil the inspiration for how Steve Jobs always closed out his product release events at Apple? And, if it worked for two of the greatest inventors of our time, what does that say to us?
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