Here are the four items I reviewed in January 2009, including the outcomes and my thoughts:
1. ONE TOUCH SLICER
Description: Cordless automatic food slicer with detachable tray that catches as it cuts, from the makers of the One Touch Can Opener
Date Reviewed: January 27 (full review)
Product (D7) Score: 5 out of 7
Commercial Rating: Good
Outcome: Not on the charts
Back in January, I wrote that "although this item does meet five of the D7 criteria, it fails in two critical categories for this type of item. The first is uniqueness. That's because there's been a glut of slicer/dicers lately ... The second is credibility. A cordless power slicer for $20? Too good to be true. When it comes to items with blades, people are especially skeptical." It seems my assessment was correct.
2. QUICK SHINE
Description: Floor care kit for hard surface floors (wood, tile, vinyl, etc.), pitched by Anthony Sullivan
Date Reviewed: January 28 (full review)
Product (D7) Score: 6 out of 7
Commercial Rating: Good/Excellent
Outcome: Not on the charts (appeared on Jordan Whitney for a while)
"[T]his is one of those times when a 6 out of 7 score is deceiving because this commercial is highly unlikely to pay out," I wrote about this item. The "fatal flaw" I identified was that "similar floor care kits are everywhere." However, I allowed that the marketers "may have some other business model in mind" because the spot was "a solid brand-support commercial."
3. SLAP CHOP
Description: A manual chopper that cuts when you "slap" the plunger at the top, pitched by Vince Offer of ShamWow! fame
Date Reviewed: January 28 (full review)
Product (D7) Score: 6 out of 7
Commercial Rating: Excellent!
Outcome: No. 16 on the IMS Top 50 (appeared on Jordan Whitney for a while)
I have always been impressed with Vince's throwback style. People thought I was crazy when I predicted that ShamWow! would be a success. And back then, I can kind of understand why. A better pitchman was already in the market with an identical product, and the production quality of Vince's commercial wasn't nearly as slick as the competition.
Well, Vince hasn't changed much, and here again I didn't spare the praise: "Everyone in the DRTV industry should pay careful attention to what Vince Offer is doing," I wrote. He is "living proof that the fundamentals of DR remain unchanged." That was the commercial. As for the product, I liked it but worried about its small size versus larger competitors (e.g. the Vidalia Chop Wizard). I also wondered if it might be perceived as "different" but "not unique" given that similar choppers had been around for years. But at the end of the day, Vince's quirky style and cult following proved more than enough to overcome these weaknesses.
4. CAL PAL
Description: A digital calorie tracker
Date Reviewed: January 28 (full review)
Product (D7) Score: 5 out of 7
Commercial Rating: Good
Outcome: Not on the charts
This is another 5 out of 7 item that failed in the critical categories, namely that it was "far from unique" and that it targeted too narrow a market: calorie counters only. "Sure, the diet market is huge, but there are easily as many carb counters as calorie counters these days," I explained. "Dieters also like to keep track of their fat intake, but this item won't help them with that." As for the uniqueness of the product, a quick search at that time yielded "dozens of different calorie counters" that came "in all shapes, sizes and price points." Entering such a crowded category is always risky, and this campaign's absence from the charts is a good example of why.
