In American English, a gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries. However, the special feature is typically thought to be of little relevance or use. Thus, a gimmick is a special feature for the sake of having a special feature.

In marketing, product gimmicks are sometimes considered mere novelties, and not really that relevant to the product's functioning, sometimes 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, toothbrushes are often given various gimmicks, such as bright colors, easy-grip handles, or color-changing bristles so they appear more exciting to consumers. This is often done when trying to appeal to children, who often get more excited about the gimmick than the product.

Examples of Gimmicks

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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 nearly every one of his caricatures.

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 overstocked. 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 promotions 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 picofarads as capacitive coupling. This, quite unofficially, is called a gimmick too. Gimmick | marketing