1. GRILLTASTIC
Description: A stovetop grill
Main Pitch: "Get outdoor cooked taste with indoor ease"
Main Offer: $10 for one
Bonus: Digital fork meat thermometer and recipe guide (just pay separate S&H)
Marketer: Telebrands
Producer: (Let me know)
Website: www.Grilltastic.com
NEW! S7 Score: 5 out of 7
Missing Qualities: Engaging, Clear (?)
Comments: I have to give Telebrands credit for coming up with a brand suffix that is sure to clear a trademark and domain search every time. Plus, it works well in almost any DR category. Hairtastic! Abtastic! Choptastic! As for the item, I've liked it since a friend of mine brought it to my attention a year or so ago. I learned then that it has been a solid seller on the pitch market for years and that it made the charts as Chef Tony's Mighty Pro Grill in 2001. Yes, this is a potential winner, but the commercial doesn't do it justice. Since I understand the product and have seen it demonstrated live, I know this spot could have been more compelling and the product could have been explained a lot better. As it is, the food just sits there on an odd-looking hubcap cooker, and you don't get a real sense of all the benefits of using it.
2. COZY CAFTAN
Description: A fleece caftan
Main Pitch: A "hot fashion look" that's "warm enough to keep you cozy on even the coldest nights"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one with matching belt
Bonus: Second one with belt FREE (just pay additional P&H)
Marketer: Lipenwald
Producer: Globe Video Services
Website: www.CozyCaftan.com
NEW! S7 Score: 5 out of 7
Missing Qualities: Needed, Uncrowded (?)
Comments: The big challenge to any product in this category is, of course, Snuggie. It's odd to talk about this "problem" already being solved, but there it is. And Snuggie is so well distributed and line-extended, it will be hard for anyone else to gain a foothold. I do think the idea of a warm caftan for winter has merit (although the commercial's fashion angle is questionable). It's just the timing that's tough.
3. DRYER MAID DRYER BALL
Description: A dryer ball that attracts hair and lint
Main Pitch: "Gets rid of pet hair and lint from clothes, sheets and towels while they tumble in your dryer"
Main Offer: $14.99 for one
Bonus: Self-cleaning lint brush plus two dryer brushes (just pay separate P&H)
Marketer: SAS Group
Producer: (Let me know)
Website: www.DryerMaid.com
NEW! S7 Score: 4 out of 7
Missing Qualities: Needed, Different, Uncrowded (?)
Comments: Somebody raided the Ontel warehouse! OK, so the main item here promotes a different primary benefit than Ontel's Dryer Balls, but the other benefits and even part of the name are the same. Plus, the two bonus items are copies of Ontel's Lint Wizard and Dryer Max Lint Removal Kit. Recycling items into a new offer is no way to get a hit on the air, although I do like the commercial. Maybe a narrower focus on just pet hair could push this one over the top, but it needs a better name.
4. TRIPLE CHOPPER
Description: A manual food processor
Main Pitch: "Chops, slices, dices, spins and mixes just about everything"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one with free whipping blade
Bonus: Mushroom Express for slicing mushrooms (just pay separate S& H)
Starring: Anthony Sullivan
Marketer: Ontel
Producer: Sullivan Productions
Website: www.TripleChopper.com
NEW! S7 Score: 3 out of 7
Missing Qualities: Needed, Different, Uncrowded, Clear (?)
Comments: This is a revamp of the Kitchen King Pro Ontel tested in April 2008 and it's the same concept as the Vidalia Chop It Billy (the late, great) tested in March 2008. I've written extensively about why those items failed, and while this new approach is better and more clever, I don't see it overcoming the challenges with the product.
5. KANGAROO KEEPER
Description: A purse-organizing insert
Main Pitch: "Holds over 70 items and keeps them neat and secure"
Main Offer: $14.95 for one large and one small in tan
Bonus: Second large and second small in black, plus a Perfect Purse Hook
Marketer: Global TV Concepts
Producer: (Let me know)
Website: www.KangarooKeeper.com
NEW! S7 Score: 3 out of 7
Missing Qualities: Targeted, Different, Uncrowded, Engaging
Comments: My first thought when watching this: Again? For some reason, marketers are enamored of this product idea. Besides, if I see one more commercial that opens with a cell phone ringing in a messy purse ... ! Anyway, the history of the category is clear. IdeaVillage's Purse Brite had a decent run. Allstar's Buxton Bag was a hit, but it had genuine leather and a brand name going for it. This item tries to be a combination of the two, but it won't work. So many marketers have tried and failed with similar items. I reviewed another one just last week. Give it up, people!
Prepared by Lynda J. Moore.
