New This Week: Malibu Pilates, Ped Egg for Men & Voots

Here are three new items to kick off the summer. One's a winner, one's a line extension and the other is a long shot.

1. MALIBU PILATES ($14.95 Trial/$300 To Own) is an exercise chair for doing Pilates exercises as well as other muscle-toning exercises. The pitch: “It lifts, firms, sculpts and burns for a slim and sexy Malibu Body.” The offer includes the chair with three workout DVDs and an eating guide. The bonuses are a workout DVD by Mari Windsor (of Windsor Pilates fame) and a wall chart. This is a Guthy-Renker product with Susan Lucci as the celebrity testimonial. www.MalibuPilates.com

Product (D7) Score: 6 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: Excellent!**
Comments: Few do it better than Guthy-Renker. They get the product right and produce top-shelf commercials that use all the DRTV techniques – and then some. The only reason I didn’t give the product a perfect score is the price. I don’t know enough about the back end of fitness programs to know if the “stick rate” will be sufficient when the price is this high. Paying $300 for a chair seems steep to me. But the on-screen price is definitely low enough to drive initial response.

2. PED EGG FOR MEN (2 pay, $9.99) is a foot file for men. The pitch: “The man’s version of the best-selling pedicure tool in America.” The difference? “Over 150 precision stainless steel micro-files, 45% more than the original.” Plus, a 30% larger size that fits better in a man’s hand. The offer includes two buffing pads. The bonuses are a second one with buffing pads and a tube of Miracle Foot Repair cream, just pay additional S&H. This is a Telebrands product.www.PedEggForMen.com
Product (D7) Score: 5 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: OK**
Comments: This is essentially a larger, black version of the mega-monster-hit Ped Egg. All sources say the original product is one of THE biggest DRTV items in recent history. But will this men’s version sell as well? I doubt it. The big problem I see: Most men don’t care about these things nearly as much as women do. It’s the old metrosexual vs. retrosexual debate. I think most men still fall into the latter category, especially the older, DRTV-buying male. As for the commercial, I considered giving it a “poor” rating because the opening is that cheesy. Watch it and tell me if you don't agree that it seems like a lead-in to a Saturday Night Live skit. However, once you get into the commercial, there are a lot of the tried-and-true techniques in there. So I bumped it up to an "OK."

3. VOOTS ($19.99) are chewable tablets designed to help kids get their recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables. The main claim: “There are three servings of fruits and vegetables in each serving of Voots (2 tablets),” and they “taste like candy.” The offer is for two boxes (72 servings), then they double that to four boxes. The bonus is a book titled, “The Kid’s Guide to Balanced Eating.” www.EatYourVoots.com
Product (D7) Score: 4 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: Good**
Comments: I like this product because it solves a problem. I also think the commercial is well done. However, the odds of success here are lower than average because the product is really only for kids. That narrows the market considerably, especially since most DRTV buyers are older than parenting age. I also think the product has a credibility problem in that people may not believe kids will eat these like candy. Re-purchase will also be affected when kids aren’t fooled.

Sources: “New Spots for Week Ending 5/23/08,” IMS (1, 3); "Vol. XVII, No. 31-B for 5/23/08,” Jordan Whitney (2)

* See my July 24, 2007 post for a complete explanation of the D7 product score.
** See my October 22, 2007 post for a complete explanation of my commercial rating system.

New This Week: Touch Up & Go, Ora-Brush and Invisible Glass

This week’s three entries have something in common: They each represent an attempt to market a “better than” solution in a category crowded with well-established brands. This is almost always a fool’s errand – in DRTV marketing and marketing in general. Why? Because unless you have a strong point of difference, it’s hard to make a dent. I’ve seen this firsthand. A few years ago, I marketed a shaving product with an innovative twist. The twist was good enough to captivate DRTV buyers, and the product delivered a profitable CPO for a time. But then we entered retail, and it died on the shelf next to some familiar and powerful brands.

1. TOUCH UP & GO ($19.95) is a hair coloring wand specifically for touching up gray or dark roots. The pitch: “It’s like makeup for your hair” and requires “no mixing, no gloves, no water, no mess.” The product comes in six colors and includes a free color refill. The bonus is a 3X magnifying travel mirror. This is a Beauty Quest (division of Fitness Quest) product and a Concepts TV commercial. www.GetTouchGo.com

Product (D7) Score: 6 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: Good**
Comments: I like this product because it solves a real problem in a convenient and innovative way. Looked at in that light, it could do very well on DRTV. But there’s a big “if” here: It will only do well IF women are unaware/unhappy with the current solutions already on the market. As mentioned above, this product is in a crowded category dominated by well-established brands. For example, Clairol sells “Nice 'n Easy Root Touch-Up,” a 10-minute solution, for $7.99 on Drugstore.com.

2. ORA-BRUSH ($19.95) is an oral-care device for preventing bad breath. You use it to brush your tongue. The main claim: “Tongue scrapers and toothbrushes can’t reach into the pores of the tongue.” This has special bristles that “pull the gunk from your tongue.” The offer includes four brushes. The bonus is two more brushes free, just pay S&H. www.OraBrush.com

Product (D7) Score: 5 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: Good**
Comments: This product faces exactly the same challenge as Touch Up & Go. In this case, the dominant brand is Colgate, which now makes a toothbrush with a built-in tongue cleaner ($3.99 on Drugstore.com). What’s worse, this product doesn’t solve a real problem in my opinion – at least not one that isn’t already being solved by “good enough” solutions (everything from mouthwash to mints). For that reason, it’s unlikely to succeed.

3. INVISIBLE GLASS ($19.95) is an aerosol glass cleaner. The pitch: “Cleans glass so well, you’ll think it’s invisible.” The offer includes three cans. The bonus is three cleaning towels. www.InvisibleGlass.com
Product (D7) Score: 4 out of 7*
Comments: I think everyone knows the major brand that will eat these guys for lunch: Windex. Moreover, they have no real point of difference against that competitor. Windex has been promoting the “invisible glass” idea for a much longer time with a much bigger ad budget. (A recent ad campaign around that positioning featured talking bird pranksters.) One caveat: I’m not sure I watched the right commercial. The company is also promoting an item identical to Ontel’s Glass Wizard called the Reach & Clean. If that’s the item, they’re second to market with a more expensive solution. Not exactly a recipe for success, either.

Sources: “New Spots for Week Ending 5/16/08,” IMS (1-3)

* See my July 24, 2007 post for a complete explanation of the D7 product score.
** See my October 22, 2007 post for a complete explanation of my commercial rating system.

New This Week: Mighty Mendit, AkroWheels and Incredihang

This week would have been another slow week if I hadn’t come across an interview with the president of Media Enterprises. He went on ABC News to talk about Mighty Putty and also took the opportunity to introduce Mighty Mendit – which gives me the opportunity to lead this week’s entry off with a winner!

1. MIGHTY MENDIT ($19.99), the sequel to Mighty Putty, is a liquid bonding agent for fabrics. While Mighty Putty repairs plastic, wood and similar hard materials, this repairs cloth materials like denim, nylon and leather. The pitch: “The fast, easy way to mend, hem and wear it again.” The offer includes three large bottles (triple the base order). The bonuses are a travel-size bottle, an Idea Guide and a bottle of Mighty Gemit, an adhesive for adding gems to clothing, etc. This is a Media Enterprises product pitched by Billy Mays and produced by Miller Direct. www.MightyMendit.com

Product (D7) Score: 6 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: Excellent!**
Comments: After missing the boat on Mighty Putty, I’ve learned my lesson! I’m predicting this item will be a hit. Not as big as Mighty Putty (brand extensions seldom do as well as the flagship product), but successful nonetheless. Like Mighty Putty, this product might have faced a credibility problem. But Billy Mays and John Miller have outdone themselves again. They prove the product works in the highest-stakes situation imaginable: They repair a skydiver’s parachute and then have him jump it. As a skydiver who’s familiar with the type of equipment necessary to survive a leap from 14,000 feet, I can appreciate how impressive that really is! The marketing team also did an excellent job of making this an everyday problem-solver, something I felt the early versions of Mighty Putty failed to do (this was later corrected). So I’m giving the commercial a perfect rating. The only reason I can’t do the same for the product is that it isn’t unique. A similar product called Liqui-Sew has sold well on HSN and in catalogs for years. That said, epoxies were popular hardware store items for years before Media Enterprises made theirs into a smash hit, so it may not matter.

2. AKROWHEELS (2 pay, $19.95) is a set of handheld wheels that look like dumbbells. You can use them to do ab and core exercises, as well as push-ups. The pitch: “Get ripped, strong, lean and sexy.” The bonus is a workout DVD. www.BuyAkroWheels.com
Product (D7) Score: 4 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: Good**
Comments: This product is a fancier, updated version of the Ab Wheel, a common product that’s been around for decades. And that’s the main problem I have with it, since DRTV works best when an item appears to be new and uncommon. Even the all-mighty ab category has its limits. Plus, there are much cooler ab solutions on the market these days. As for the push-up use, it’s a real stretch. I think most people would end up flat on their faces if they tried the exercise shown! This product is also too expensive for short-form and too hard to use for older people. Not exactly a recipe for success.

3. INCREDIHANG ($19.95) is a bracket system for hanging pictures. The pitch: “Hang your pictures perfectly straight every time, and you will never have to re-straighten them again!” The offer is for 20 kits. Each kit includes a wall bracket, frame bracket, two frame nails and two wall nails. The bonus is double the offer. www.IncrediHang.com
Product (D7) Score: 4 out of 7*
Comments: DRTV marketing starts with selecting the right product for the medium. This product has no chance on DRTV because it isn’t unique, isn’t exciting and doesn’t solve a real problem – among other things.

Sources: “Mighty Putty: How Does It Work?” ABC News (1); “New Spots for Week Ending 5/9/08,” IMS (2); "Vol. XVII, No. 29-B for 5/9/08,” Jordan Whitney (3)

* See my July 24, 2007 post for a complete explanation of the D7 product score.
** See my October 22, 2007 post for a complete explanation of my commercial rating system.

New This Week: Marshmallow Popper and Optica 1050

Only two items worth mentioning this week. The second quarter slump continues!

1. MARSHMALLOW POPPER ($19.99) is a children’s toy that shoots mini-marshmallows using the power of air. It looks like a pump-action shotgun. The pitch: “Launches marshmallows up to 20 feet.” The offer includes optional foam pellets. The bonuses are a target and playbook. This is an IdeaVillage product and a Morgan James commercial. www.MarshmallowPopper.com
Product (D7) Score: 4 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: Good**
Comments: This is a fun idea and it may do well in certain specific channels, but it isn’t a DRTV item. In general, it is very difficult to make kids’ products work on DRTV because the market and the media choices are narrower, the majority of DRTV buyers are beyond the age of having young kids in the house, and most of these products do not solve a problem (they’re just fun). There are some notable exceptions, but consider this: I tracked 100 items last year and saw only 12 become hits (read more). Of those 12, just one was a kids’ product (Aqua Dots), and it had the dubious distinction of being the first DRTV product recalled during the China contamination scare! Returning to this product, I think it has two additional weaknesses. First, it's an analog product in a digital world. There are much cooler guns on toy store shelves, and most kids will opt for the latest video games – where you can pretend to shoot real guns and watch people die – instead of this. Second, I think parents will be turned off by the mess this makes. Let the kids loose with these guns in your house, and you'll be cleaning up little marshmallows for days! That said, if this item were repositioned as an outdoor toy for camping trips and such, it could overcome that barrier to purchase.

2. OPTICA 1050 ($29.98) is a pair of high-powered binoculars. The main claim: “See up to 35 miles” with “1000x magnification.” The offer includes a carrying case and 90-day warranty. The bonus is a Pocket Spyscope that’s only six inches long when collapsed and “let’s you see up to seven miles.” www.1050binoculars.com
Product (D7) Score: 4 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: Good**
Comments: This is a cool product, but is it cool enough? That’s the big question. There are so many pairs of binoculars on the market by established and trusted brands that it will be hard for these guys to break through. The price is also high for short-form DRTV, although it’s a good value compared to other binoculars on the market. Lastly, the product doesn’t solve a problem, which is another handicap. These guys are really banking on the cool factor to sell their product. As for the commercial, despite its low production value, I like it. The creative uses a lot of tried-and-true DRTV techniques, including an “oldie but goodie” – factory-direct pricing. If this one fails, it will be because of the product challenges, not the commercial. The only thing they could have done better is explain how the product works. Is it some breakthrough technology no one else has?

Sources: “New Spots for Week Ending 5/2/08,” IMS (1); "Vol. XVII, No. 28-B for 5/2/08,” Jordan Whitney (2)

* See my July 24, 2007 post for a complete explanation of the D7 product score.
** See my October 22, 2007 post for a complete explanation of my commercial rating system.