Weekly Round-Up

From the Pre-Blog Archives

1. STICKY NIPS ($19.95) are adhesive silicone pieces that allow women to change the shape and contour of their, um, chests. They come in four skin tones. Comments: Need I say it? Bomb! Putting aside how ridiculous and lacking in credibility this item is, I had to go through three Web screens to figure out what the item is. (You don't want to know.) Any spot that makes people work that hard to understand it is doomed.
 
2. TAP 'N GLOW TRI-LITE ($19.95) is a cube-shaped Tap Light that has three brightness settings. Tap it once for a night light, twice for a soft light and three times for a bright light. Comments: Unlikely to succeed. This spot is a great test of a theory of mine: When a DRTV category is saturated, no matter how much "better" your product is, it won't sell. In theory, this item should do well. It's an improvement over the Tap Light, which is a proven winner, and the offer is a great value. In reality, it will fail because the target customers have already purchased a Stick-Up Bulb, Stick 'N Click or Quik Brite. There aren't enough prospects left to sustain a CPO.
 
3. PRESTO (Soft Offer) is an email solution for seniors. The service converts emails and sends them to an HP printer hooked up to a phone line. Like a fax machine, the device prints any emails (pictures or text) you send to it. Comments: This is very likely to succeed. Obviously, it won't perform in a pure DRTV sense, but the price and ongoing revenue opportunity is high enough that the economics should work. Plus, the item is tailor-made for the DRTV audience. That is, it solves a real problem for seniors.
 
4. SLIME (Free Trial) is a beauty cream. No kidding. The secret ingredient in this beauty cream is snail slime. Really. Apparently, it has a miracle effect on wrinkles and acne. The slogan? "Turn back time with slime." The bonus? Dark-circles slime, of course. This is a Telebrands item. Comments: Oh no they didn't!
 
5. EXTRA HANDS ($19.95) are over-size tongs for tossing salads, etc. They have long "fingers" that make them look like hands. This is an Incredible Discoveries product. Comments: Prediction? Bomb. The product is only marginally unique, and it doesn't solve a real problem. Plus, the product is boring!

Weekly Round-Up

From the Pre-Blog Archives

1. JOSE EBER CURLING IRON (2 pay, $24.95) is a clipless curling iron that claims not to crease or damage hair. The offer includes a lifetime guarantee and three bottles of styling serum. The bonuses are a styling comb and heat-resistant travel case. Comments: Unlikely to succeed. This is another "better than" product. Not being someone who uses a curling iron, I can't tell if the "better than" innovation is significant enough to generate the impulse to buy. Does a clipless curling iron solve a common and painful problem? Or do women like their clip curling irons just fine? That's the make-or-break question. Also, this product is quite expensive for short-form DRTV.
 
2. AQUA DOTS ($19.95) are colorful dots that stick together when you spray them with water. The kit comes with 675 dots and a model-making guide. The bonus is 75 glow-in-the-dark dots. Then they offer buy one, get one free. Comments: Unlikely to succeed. The success of Floam will be difficult to replicate. The market for these products is limited to young children and their parents, and the typical DRTV buyer doesn't fit the profile. Plus, the "wacky toy" category is getting crowded on TV lately.
 
3. BLOBBIES ($34.95) are stuffed animals that fold into themselves to form a blob. The offer includes a Blobbie storybook and a CD-ROM with games and music. The bonuses are Blobbie trading cards (think Pokemon) and stickers. Comments: Prediction? Bomb. Add to my Aqua Dots comments the fact that this item is $35, and you have a real long shot.
 
4. CLEAN & SHIELD ($19.95) is a cleaning spray that also protects surfaces from dirt, grime and bacteria. The offer is two bottles with a bonus hand sanitizer and three microfiber clothes. Then they double the offer to four bottles, two hand sanitizers, six microfiber clothes -- and coupons for additional bottles. Comments: Unlikely to succeed. The problem is the commercial lacks credibility. They never really explain how or why it works in a way that's sufficient to overcome the viewer's natural skepticism. Paradoxically, the super-rich offer works against them, compounding the credibility problem. The consumer thinks: They're giving away so much because it probably doesn't work well.
 
5. PROJUVA (Soft Offer/$39.95) is an anti-aging cream that has peptides and collagen to reduce lines and wrinkles. The bonuses are a Night Serum and a ProCollagen Complex. The spokesperson is Kim Alexis. Comments: Unlikely to succeed. This is a VERY crowded space. You need something truly breakthrough to move the dial in this category, and I just don't see it here.
 
6. THERMACLEAR (Soft Offer/$99.95) is an acne device that claims to work like laser treatment -- by killing the bacteria that causes certain types of acne. The bonus is a sample kit of skin-care products called ThermaClear Essentials. Comments: Could be a winner. This is a knockoff of Zeno, which I hear is doing well. And it's about $50 cheaper. But will it work on short-form DRTV? On a lead-gen basis, it just might. They'll need a half-hour show to get a payout, though.
 
7. FOLD-A-CART (3 pay, $49.95) is a collapsible wheelbarrow that folds down to 1/3 its size. No bonus. Original Comments: Prediction? Bomb. DRTV is the wrong channel to market this. It doesn't have true mass appeal, and it's very expensive. If they use DRTV as a cheap way to advertise in support of a retail campaign, then it may make sense.

Weekly Round-Up

From the Pre-Blog Archives

1. CABBAGE PATCH KIDS PLAYHOUSE ($19.99) is a twist on the Roll N' Grow idea. It is 25 feet of seeded carpet that grows into eight-foot sunflowers. Plant them in a square, and you get an outdoor "playhouse" with sunflower walls. Could also be used as a privacy "fence" around a pool or patio. Comments: Unlikely to succeed. This probably isn't a mass-market idea, since not everyone likes sunflowers or wants to take up a large portion of their yard (if they have a large enough yard) with these plants. It also doesn't solve a compelling problem. Their angle is 'get the kids outside,' but this further limits the market to parents.
 
2. SMOOTH 'N 6 ($39.95) is a pen that rolls on a wrinkle serum, which is supposed to work in six seconds. It fills in lines and plumps skin. The offer is buy one, get one free. Then they double the offer to four, just pay S&H on the second set of two. The bonuses are a micro-exfoliating mitt and a light-up compact mirror. Comments: Great idea, terrible offer. Great idea: Bringing portability ("roll it on as easily as lipstick" is the tag line) and speed (six seconds) to a proven category. Bad offer: Four for $39.95. First, it's confusing to the consumer, who probably wants to try one for a lower price. Second, some quick math tells me they could have put a $19.99 price point on the screen. The odds of success decrease rapidly the higher above $20 you go.
 
3. ZIP RIP ($16.95) is a tape measure attachment that holds a utility knife or pencil so you can cut/mark as you measure. The offer includes two Zip Rips, two pencils, a 25' tape measure and a utility knife. Comments: Prediction? Bomb. This item has several fatal flaws. The first flaw is a low perceived value. It looks like a cheap piece of plastic that should be a $1.99. Making it part of a "starter kit" is a nice attempt at getting past this obstacle, but the items are things that most people already have. The second flaw is that it doesn't solve a real problem. The third flaw is that its uses are limited. Cutting ceiling tiles is about the only good demo shown.
 
4. PRESSA BELLA (2 pay, $39.95) is a dry steam iron that puts out tons of steam and won't scorch clothing. It is supposed to cut ironing time in half. The bonus is an upgrade to a 10-foot, tangle-free cord with a swivel connector. It also comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee. And they tease the mini Press Bella travel iron at 60 percent off. This is an Allstar product. The spot is five minutes, cut down from an infomercial.
   
   Comments: Unlikely to succeed. This is a "better than" pitch for a product that's entering a crowded market where every type of claim has already been made and every problem already solved. As evidence of this, there is a spot on this same tape for Rowenta's Pressure Iron & Steamer. (The tag line? "It's all about the steam.") At $80 plus shipping, it is also an expensive product for DRTV buyers. I just don't think they'll see enough benefit for the buck.
 
5. SLIM & LIFT SUPREME (2 pay, $24.99) is another slimming body suit similar to the Shape & Style from February 2007. The offer is buy one in tan, get the black one free. The bonus is a shorter version for just the waist and stomach. This is a Thane product. Comments: Has potential. Out of the gate, they have competition from the other product, though. Both products are also expensive. And, again, the offer is confusing to the consumer -- although it may make sense from the marketer's perspective.
 
6. SAFETY BEEP ($19.99) is a device that sticks to a car's rear lights and beeps to warn pedestrians when the car is backing up. The offer is buy one, get one free (just pay S&H). This is a Telebrands item. Comments: Unlikely to succeed. The old adage is that "prevention doesn't sell." This item goes one step further and requires that people care enough about preventing harm to OTHERS to create the impulse to buy. That's a major challenge. Parents with young children are the only group that I can think of that fit the bill. Perversely, the device also partially obscures your back-up lights, making it more difficult for others to see them.
 
7. OXI-TRIM (Soft Offer) is yet another diet pill. The pitch is as follows: "OxiTrim is a new generation 'carsufat' blocker (carbohydrate + sugar = fat) that re-directs the body’s metabolic pathway in a process called meta-cellular migration causing body fat to be used as a primary source of fuel. This results in accelerated weight loss and a better body." Included diet and exercise guides. Comments: Prediction? Bomb. On top of this product being 548th to market, it lacks credibility. "Carsufat"? Really? They couldn't come up with a better name than taking the letters from "carbs," "sugar" and "fat" and blending them together?

Weekly Round-Up

From the Pre-Blog Archives

1. PRO-FORM ABS ($14.95) is an ab machine in the form of an inclined bench. The offer includes a workout DVD and eating guide. The bonus is free shipping, and they also offer a half-off deal on their Flex-Band Resistance System, which attaches to the bench and lets the user do arm exercises.
   
   Comments: This is a crowded category. However, an ab machine of this quality at under $20 would capture all the people who want these products but are unwilling to pay the high prices for them. I say "would" because the price point is a scam. I went to the Web site and saw two conflicting prices. The list price is $114.95, but the site also mentions the $14.95 price with a phone number to call. When I called, I discovered the catch: a) You have to apply for one of their credit cards; b) $14.95 is only your first payment, then you pay $3 per month until you pay off the $114.95. Since the interest is probably super-high and front-loaded, that means the customer will be on the hook for the rest of his or her life.

There was just one item of note this week.